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DEDICATION OF MONUMENTS 



ERECTED BY THE 



MORAVIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 



A MEMORIAL 



DEDICATION OF MONUMENTS 



ERECTED BY THE 



MORAVIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, 



TO MARK TOE SITES OF 



ANCIENT MISSIONARY STATIONS 



NEW YORK AND CONNECTICUT. 



NEW YORK: 
C. B. RICHARDSON, 

OFFICE OF THE HISTORICAL MAGAZINE, 348 BROADWAY. 

PHILADELPHIA: 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 

1860. 



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PHILADELPHIA 
COLLINS, PRINTER. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



I. SHEKOMEKO IX 1745, page 63. 



II. WECHQUADNACH LAKE, or INDIAN POND, 

to face page 68. 



III. STISSING MOUNTAIN AND HALCYON LAKE, 

from Buettner's Monument, to face page 90. 

IV. BUETTNER'S MONUMENT, to face page 123. 



V. BRUCE AND POWELL'S MONUMENT, 

near Weckquadnach Lake, to face page 150. 



PREFACE. 



The following pages contain an account of the dedi- 
cation of two monuments, lately erected by the Moravian 
Historical Society, on the sites of once flourishing Moravian 
mission stations, among the " New England Indians," in 
New York and Connecticut. 

The Committee to whom that body intrusted the execu- 
tion of its project, felt themselves called upon to secure a 
record of a historical transaction, and at the same time to 
gratify the inquiry and interest known to have been 
awakened on the side of the public, as well as among many 
individuals more directly concerned. With the preparation 
of such a narrative the " Committee on Monuments" charged 
the author of this volume. Naturally enough he did not 
contemplate inserting the Moravian sacred music, and the 
full detail of the ritual of the Moravian Church ; but by 
others it was thought proper that the narrative should be a 
faithful record of all that passed at scenes deeply interest- 
ing and impressive, for that thus might best be preserved 
forever fresh the very words and tones that in those plea- 
sant scenes had bound in loving brotherhood the hearts of 
those who had gathered together to honor the memory of 
men of peace, of faithful soldiers of the cross. 

For the historical sketch of the Moravian mission the 
author is largely indebted to his esteemed uncle, the Rev. 
L. T. Eeichel, of the Elders' Conference of the Brethren's 



viii PREFACE. 

Church, who made the subject the theme of a public discus- 
sion, while pastor of the congregation at Litiz, Pa. The 
addresses were furnished by the respective speakers ; those 
that relate to the Mohican and Wampanoag missions 
present many facts not incorporated by Loskiel in his his- 
tory. To have exhausted all the material at his command 
would have enlarged that admirable work to undue limits. 
Thus a mine of historical interest was left for others to open, 
and from this source, and from papers in the archives in 
the Moravian Church at Bethlehem and elsewhere, much 
that is new concerning the early condition of the Indian 
stations was obtained by those who were appointed to speak 
at the dedication of the monuments. 

The sketch of the village of Shekomeko is a fac-simile of 
a drawing taken in 1745 ; it belongs to a number of papers 
relating to this station, preserved at Bethlehem. The views 
of the site of Shekomeko, of Indian Pond and Wechquad- 
nach, were taken by Mr. George F. Bensell, a meritorious 
young artist of Philadelphia, who accompanied a party 01 
exploration in June last, and who also w T as present at the 
dedication. Messrs. Lossing & Barrett, of New York, 
executed the engravings. Mr. Henry C. Wetmore, repre- 
sentative of Duchess County, in the State Senate of New 
York, manifested a deep interest in the subject of this 
volume, and was present at the interesting ceremonies on 
the occasion of the dedication of the second monument. 

W. C. REICHEL. 



Bethlehem, Pa., December 15th, 1859. 



MORAVIANS 



NEW YORK AND CONNECTICUT 



There is scarcely any history which enlists the sympa- 
thies of the reader more than that of the Moravian Mis- 
sion among the North American Indians. 1 It relates to 
an unfortunate people ; to a scattered people whose de- 
plorable national calamities have, at last, excited the 
commiseration of even their destroyers. There is, per- 
haps, no sadder history written ; for, it is a continuous 
recital of hope and success resulting in disappointment and 
disaster ; a quickly-changing scene, in which noon-day 
clouds inevitably darken the sky that was serene and clear 
in the morning's dawn, and storms sweep over fields white 
for the harvest, rudely scattering the ripening grain to the 
winds of heaven. And yet, the zeal, the devotion, the pa- 
tience and Christian love that mark the unobtrusive efforts 
of those messengers of peace to the red man, could not have 
been greater, had the narrative of their labors come down 
to us an uninterrupted succession of triumphs. 

It was under peculiar difficulties that the Moravian mis- 
sionary commenced his labors among the nomads of this 
western world; and by these difficulties only can the mag- 
nitude of his work be fairly estimated. 

1 History of the Mission of the United Brethren among the Indians in 
North America, by George Henry Loskiel, 1788. Translated from the 
German by Christian Ignatius Latrobe. London, 1794. 
2 



6 MOBAVIANS IN NEW YOEK 

At a time when almost the last desperate struggle for 
sovereignty was being maintained by the aboriginal pos- 
sessors of the soil against the aggressive Anglo-Saxon, his 
sacred calling was unable to secure him against the op- 
probrium of the world. The sympathies of his fellow-men 
were estranged from the cause of Christian philanthropy in 
which he toiled. His designs were misapprehended, his 
actions misconstrued, and he himself was reviled for casting 
his lot with a hated race, around which romance had not 
yet thrown a halo of glory, that might have shed a world- 
renowned lustre on his own humble efforts. He stood de- 
fenceless between the white man and the Indian, an object 
of twofold suspicion, and yet the friend of both. Though 
striving to live in peace with all men for the sake of the 
cause that was designed to promote the interests of human- 
ity, and the kingdom of the Redeemer, he was drawn from 
his cherished seclusion, into the convulsions that changed 
the political relations of the land in which he was a stranger 
and a sojourner. If his position had before been personally 
a dangerous one, it now became involved in most embar- 
rassing perplexities. Carried away by their first love for 
freedom, and dazzled by the brilliant successes that promised 
to secure independence to a tributary colony, its inhabitants 
forgot the claims of the missionary while they magnified those 
of the patriot. In the excitement of victory over a mighty 
nation of the earth, the phenomenon of a fellow-being con- 
tending against spiritual powers for a heavenly kingdom, 
appeared to them inexplicable ; and it was left for a more 
dispassionate generation to justify the course of the Mora- 
vian missionary in the political disturbances that agitated 
this country towards the close of the last century. 

Apart from such baneful external influences, the mission 
in which he engaged was one of more than ordinary diffi- 
culty. It was to a dangerous people — to a race, whose 



AND CONNECTICUT. 7 

angry passions had been rendered fierce above control in 
the school of merciless oppression. None knew the failings 
of the Indian better than he ; none made more melancholy 
experience of his vindictiveness, of the instability of his 
character, and of his proneness to gross transgression. He 
saw his brethren and sisters, wife and children, fall victims 
to the fatal tomahawk. It. was here that his patience 
needed divine support ; yet even here we see him inspired 
with enthusiasm for the rude savage, an enthusiasm that 
led him to return good for evil, and to throw the mantle 
of charity over all his faults. We rind him sheltering the 
exile in his home; furnishing him with lands and farms, 
with cattle and houses and mills, and working by his side 
in the field. Time after time, with staff in hand, he shared 
the sorrows of the wanderer. Turning his back on the 
comforts and refinements of civilized life, he leads the way 
into inhospitable wilds, in the vain hope of finding, far from 
the habitations of men, peace and rest for his persecuted 
brother. His life is one of continual uncertainty, and he 
a pilgrim on the face of the earth. He becomes inured 
to the vicissitudes of climate and seasons ; familiar with 
the storm that roars through the primeval forest, with the 
dangers of the swollen stream, with the fatigues of the port- 
age, with hunger and thirst, with the whoop of the lurking 
savage, with the camps of hostile armies, with imprisonment, 
and with the blood of innocently butchered brethren. Yet 
he remains true to himself, and true to the cause of his 
Master, unconsciously exhibiting to posterity an example 
of intrepidity, of constancy, of Christian heroism, and faith 
in the all-ruling providence of God, that well may claim the 
astonishment and admiration of mankind. For more than 
a century has the Moravian missionary thus hoped against 
hope in his mission among the aborigines of this country, 
and yet, at the present day, we find him clinging with a 



8 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

tenacity of purpose that is almost unprecedented to a lin- 
gering few that have outlived the destiny of their race, and 
leading them to the waters of Life in the pasture lands of 
the St. Lawrence, and along the western tributaries of the 
Mississippi. 

The first efforts on the part of the Moravian Brethren to 
bring the Gospel to the Indians of our country were made 
in Georgia, whither a colony had immigrated from Saxony 
in 1735. They were directed to the Creeks in the neigh- 
borhood of Savannah, but were of short continuance, ter- 
minating with the removal of the Brethren, on account of 
political difficulties, from Georgia to Pennsylvania in 1740. 

In this same year, Christian H. Rauch reached New 
York from Marienborn, in Wetteravia, Germany. He was 
by a remarkable providence shown a field of labor, and 
opened the mission among the Mohicans and kindred tribes 
of New York and Connecticut. Three converts from this 
people, Shabash, Tabawanemen, and Kiak, the first fruits 
from the North American Indians, were received into the 
Church of Christ by baptism on the 22d of February, 1742, 
and in September following the first congregation of believ- 
ing Indians was organized at the village of Shekomeko by 
Count Zinzendorf, at that time on a visit to his brethren 
in Bethlehem and elsewhere in Pennsylvania. From here 
the rays of Gospel light penetrated the depths of the 
forest eastward, illuminating valley, and lake, and mountain 
within the borders of Wechquadnach, Pachgatgoch, and 
Potatik. Men of like zeal with himself (Biittner, Mack, 
Pyrlaeus, Senseman, Bruce, Post, Shaw, Bishop, and others) 
were sent to Rauch's assistance. The mission became one 
of promise. Four years, however, had scarcely elapsed 
when a cloud gathered along the horizon of their peaceful 
seclusion, and bigotry and avarice exiled both convert and 
missionary — the one from his ancestral home, the other 



AND CONNECTICUT. 9 

from scenes that were endeared to him as having witnessed 
the wonderful displays of a most gracious Providence. 

This first exodus of Moravian Indians from Shekomeko 
occurred in the spring of 1746. Others gradually repaired 
to Bethlehem from Wechquadnach and Pachgatgoch, all of 
whom were received with open arms, and in turn rested in 
the " huts of peace' ; (Friedenshiitten). The scattered flock 
that preferred persecution to exile was visited in its beloved 
haunts by the faithful missionary as late as 1764. Pach- 
gatgoch was the last Moravian station among the Warn- 
panoags of Connecticut, and here was concluded the mission 
among the Indians north of the province of Pennsylvania. 

The exodus from Shekomeko and the adjacent villages 
led to the commencement of an Indian settlement on lands 
purchased by the Moravian Brethren for this special pur- 
pose, a short day's journey northwest of Bethlehem, at the 
junction of the Mahony Creek with the Lehigh, or west 
branch of the Delaware. This was late in 1746. Hither 
were gathered into one fold Mohicans, Wampanoags, and 
Delawares, which latter people had been a peculiar object 
of the Brethren's Christian labors since their first arrival in 
Pennsylvania. The prospect now again brightened. There 
was respite from persecution, and a haven safe from the 
storm. The temporal and spiritual condition of their foster- 
children in the " huts of grace" called forth grateful ac- 
knowledgments on the part of the missionaries of the 
Divine blessing, and Gnadenhutten became the " crown of 
the Indian mission." 

But the night of the 24th of November, 1755, dispelled 
the hopes and realizations of nine years of anxious toil. It 
was on this evening that the mission-house on the Mahony 
was beset by hostile Indians, and eleven of the Brethren 
and Sisters were either butchered by the tomahawk or 
burned in the conflagration of their common home. 



10 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

Bethlehem again became the asylum of the Indian. 
Here, safe from " wars" and the " rumor of wars," the 
fugitives from the smoking ruins of Gnadenhiitten passed 
the winter of 1756. In the following year, they were trans- 
ferred to a tract of land near by, and the settlement was 
called Nain. Wechquetank, twenty-four miles to the north, 
was begun in 1760, and thus there were at this period two 
■flourishing congregations of Christian Indians in connection 
with the Moravian Church. But this prosperity was short- 
lived, for on the renewal of hostilities between the Indians 
of the frontier and the English colonies in 1763, both 
settlements became objects of unjust suspicion, and their 
inhabitants threatened with extermination. It was at this 
critical juncture that the government of Pennsylvania 
afforded a place of safety to the persecuted Moravian 
Indians in the barracks of Philadelphia. 

The year 1765 is the first of twenty-seven years of wan- 
derings through the wildernesses of Northwestern Pennsyl- 
vania, Ohio, and the lake countries, which finally brought 
the weary remnant to a resting-place and home on British 
soil. David Zeisberger was the Moses of this toilsome 
exodus. Henceforward, for years, the joys and sorrows 
of the mission are identified with this hero, on whom had 
descended the mantle of the fathers who were fallen asleep, 
and a double portion of their spirit. In early manhood, 
while Mack and others were preaching Christ to the Mohi- 
cans and Delawares, Zeisberger had already done eminent 
service for his church in its renewed overtures with the Six 
Nations, in view of opening a mission within their borders. 
He had frequently preached in their dependencies on the 
Susquehanna (Shamokin, Wyoming, etc.), where there 
abode a mixed population of Delawares, Nanticokes, Sha- 
wanose, Mohawks, and Senecas, and also had visited the 
great council fire of the Iroquois at Onondaga to treat with 



AND CONNECTICUT. 11 

tliem on the ground of the covenant their fathers, in 1742, 
had made with Zinzendorf. In 1763 we find him on the 
north branch of the Susquehanna at the Indian village of 
Machwihilusing. Hither it was that Providence, in 1765, 
directed the remains of the Nain and Wechquetank con- 
gregations. Here " huts of peace" (Friedenshiitten) were 
a second time reared, and the wilderness was made to blos- 
som as the rose. Friedenshiitten became the mother con- 
gregation, and the centre of missionary operations in a 
new field of labor. In 1767, Zeisberger left this frontier 
post of Christianity, and penetrated to the sources of the 
Ohio, where the white man was a stranger to the forest- 
bound Indian, and at Goshgoshunk, a Delaware village, he 
planted the standard of the cross. The result of his suc- 
cesses here was the establishment of Friedenstaclt (town of 
peace), on Beaver Creek, in 1770. Thus, there were again 
two flourishing congregations of Moravian Indians in the 
wilds of Northwestern Pennsylvania, in charge of the mis- 
sionaries Zeisberger, Heckewelder, Schmick, Rothe, and 
others. But the lands on which they dwelt, and which the 
labor of their hands had transformed into gardens, were 
seized, and they themselves compelled to wander in quest 
of new homes. Led on by their teachers, they settled, in 
1772, on the banks of the Muskingum, successively at 
Schoenbrunn, Gnadenhiitten, Lichtenau, and Salem. Re- 
mote from the haunts of men, and the strife and turmoil of 
the world, they promised themselves a long season of repose 
far away in the green forests of the virgin West. But Pro- 
vidence mysteriously designed them to pass through new 
and greater tribulations. The Moravian Indians were sus- 
pected of plotting against British interests in the struggle 
of the colonies for independence. On the 10th of August, 
1781, a body of three hundred Wyandot warriors in the 
English service, were accordingly sent from Fort Detroit, 



12 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

against the Muskingum mission. The missionaries were 
taken prisoners, their houses pillaged, and their spiritual 
children ordered to follow them in exile. "Never did 
Indians leave a country with more regret, never did they 
leave more beautiful settlements." On the 11th of October, 
they reached the Sandusky, where they were wantonly left 
to find a precarious subsistence in an inhospitable wilder- 
ness. Hence, the missionaries were summoned to Fort 
Detroit, to answer the charges that had been preferred 
against them. Their honorable acquittal was no equivalent 
for the injuries entailed on the cause in which they were 
engaged. On the 22d of November, they were again in 
the midst of their flock on the Sandusky. 

The year 1782 opened; a year ever memorable in the 
annals of the Moravian mission, and stained with the blood 
of innocents on the page of history. The winter was un- 
commonly severe, and famine stared the dwellers on the 
Sandusky in the face. Three hundred acres of maize which 
they had planted and hoed in the fields of the Muskingum, 
stood untouched in the husks, save what had fallen to the 
share of the famished squirrel, and the hungry turkey. 
This they resolved to harvest. It was the lawful earnings 
of their hands. But the white man thought otherwise. He 
ignored the rights of the Indian, deeming him the Canaanite 
of the land, and, like the Canaanite of old, ordained to utter 
extermination. Early in the month of March, a party of 
one hundred and sixty lawless characters, principally from 
the banks of the Monongahela, in Western Pennsylvania, 
marched to the Muskingum, and fell on the inoffensive 
Christian Indians at Gnadenhutten. Ninety-six of their 
number magnified the name of the Lord by patient martyr- 
dom. " The record of this atrocious deed is on high, March 
8th, 1782." 

The Indian congregation saved itself from total annihila- 



AND CONNECTICUT. 13 

tion only by flight and dispersion. In July of the following 
year, the fugitives were once more collected on the Chip- 
peway land, and, on the south bank of the Huron River, 
" huts of grace" were built for a fourth time. " Gnaden- 
hiitten" was maintained with difficulty for four years. 

In April of 1786, a remnant of one hundred and seventeen 
souls, the entire congregation of believing Indians, once 
more set out in quest of a home, crossed Lake Erie, and 
settled at Pilgerruh (pilgrim's rest) on the Cuyahoga. But 
the weary pilgrim found no rest. Driven from place to 
place, an exile from the land of his " great Father," he 
found, in 1791, a resting-place for the sole of his foot on 
British soil. 

In 1792, a tract of land on the Thames River in Canada 
West was assigned to the Moravian Indians by the British 
government, and, in May of the same year, the settlement 
of Fairfield was commenced. 

Five years later, a colony of thirty-three Indian brethren 
and sisters, led by the venerable Zeisberger, set out from 
Fairfield for the fertile valley of the Muskingum. Here 
Goshen was founded in 1797. It was the thirteenth settle- 
ment commenced by this missionary hero in the Indian 
country, and here, in 1808, he closed his earthly pilgrim- 
age of eighty-eight years, sixty-two of which had been 
spent in the work of the Gospel among the aborigines of 
this country. " As a shock of corn cometh in its season, so 
he came to the grave in a full age, and entered into the 
joy of his Lord." Goshen was maintained until 1821. 

In the mean time, several attempts had been made to open 
missions on the borders of civilization in the Indian country; 
on the Wabash, between 1801 and 1806 ; among the Chip- 
peways of Lake St. Clair between 1802 and 1806 ; and on 
Lake Erie between 1804 and 1809. These undertakings 
were unsuccessful. 



1-i MOE AVIANS IN NEW YOKK 

The congregation at Fairfield liad enjoyed twenty years 
of undisturbed quiet, when the war of 1812 involved it in 
unexpected calamity. The Moravian settlement, mistaken 
for an English military post, was pillaged and burned to 
the ground by American troops. The fugitives collected 
around their teacher near Lake Ontario, where they main- 
tained themselves until the conclusion of peace in 1815, 
when they returned to the Thames, on the south bank of 
which they built New Fairfield. This station is maintained 
to the present day. 

In July of 1837, two hundred brethren and sisters emi- 
grated from New Fairfield to the far West, and, in the 
following year, Westfield was commenced on the river 
Kansas, within the limits of what was then the Indian ter- 
ritory. In 1853, their right to the soil being disputed, our 
Delaware brethren were compelled to commence a new 
settlement, and at present a lingering remnant is still under 
the care of a missionary on the eastern borders of the State 
of Kansas. 

But the Delaware mission is not the only one conducted 
by the Moravian Church among the Indians of this country. 

In 1801, a mission was opened among the Cherokees of 
North Georgia by Abraham Steiner. Spring Place and 
Ochgalogy became flourishing congregations. The names 
of Byhan, Gambold, and Smith, are associated with the 
prosperous days of this mission. In 1838, on the removal 
of the Cherokee Nation beyond the Mississippi, the mis- 
sionary followed his little congregation to the wilds of 
western xlrkansas, and here at the present day the word of 
life is preached to Moravian Cherokees at New Springfield, 
Canaan, and Mount Zion. According to the latest accounts, 
four hundred souls, under the care of nine missionaries, are 
in church-fellowship with the Moravian Indian mission. 

It is to the earlier years of this remarkable Christian 



AND CONNECTICUT. 15 

enterprise, to the mission among the " New England In- 
dians," the Mohicans of Eastern New York, and the Warn- 
panoags of Connecticut, that the following pages relate. 
Second in point of incident to no succeeding period of the 
history of which they form a part, these first attempts of 
the Moravian missionaries to convert to the Gospel the 
Indian of this country, are peculiarly interesting, in as far 
as they are characterized by the display of venture, intre- 
pidity, and sacrifice, that justly immortalize the labors of 
the sturdy pioneer. 

Led by these considerations, and with the design of 
perpetuating the remembrance of the brave and good, the 
Moravian Historical Society engaged in the movement, of 
which this volume purposes to give an account, namely, the 
erection of monuments on the localities of the old stations 
at Shekomeko, in the town of Pine Plains, Duchess County, 
New York, and Wechquadnach, in the town of Sharon, 
Litchfield County, Connecticut. 

At a distance from the seat of the Moravian Church at 
Bethlehem and elsewhere in Pennsylvania, and accessible 
only by tedious journeying, before the days of the steamboat 
and locomotive, on the abandonment of the mission in that 
section of the country communication with these two places 
gradually ceased; they were lost sight of, though not for- 
gotten, and the present generation deemed their re-discovery 
almost hopeless. 

In 1854 and 1855 there appeared a series of articles, 
from unknown writers, in the columns of the New York 
Observer, purporting to remove the veil of uncertainty 
that rested on the precise localities of these landmarks of 
the past. The fourth of the essays, which was published 
in the Observer, of June 22d, 1855, as has recently been 
ascertained, was from the pen of the Rev. William J. 
McCord, a Presbyterian clergyman, who had resided for a 



16 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

number of years in the town adjacent to that in which once 
lay the village of Shekomeko. 

The writer well remembers with what welcome this news 
from the lost was received by the members of the Church 
to which it referred, and more especially by one of its cler- 
gymen, who, at that time, was in the midst of researches 
which, since then, have been completed in the " History of 
the American Branch of the United Brethren." 

In the beginning of the present year, the Moravian pub- 
lic was again gratified by intelligence from the scenes of 
Kauch's and Blittner's labors — from Shekomeko and Wech- 
quadnach. A copy of a pamphlet, bearing the name of 
the former Indian station, published at Poughkeepsie, in 
the summer of 1858, fell into the hands of a member of the 
recently established Moravian Historical Society. By this 
gentleman it was circulated among the members of that 
association, and soon appeared, in part, in the columns of 
the weekly journal of the Moravian church. 

The author of the able and interesting paper, entitled 
" Shekomeko," is the Rev. Sheldon Davis, an Episcopalian 
clergyman, resident at Pleasant Valley, seven miles north- 
east of Poughkeepsie. As early as 1850, his attention 
was called to the existence of certain memorials of the 
old Brethren's Mission in Duchess County, New York, 
where, at that time, he was acting as missionary under 
the direction of the Convocation, to whom he was wont 
to submit quarterly reports. In one of these, read at St. 
James's Church, Hyde Park, April 25th, 1850, occurs the 
following : " It may be mentioned as an interesting fact in 
connection with the missionary operations of the county, 
that the missionary has been able to identify a point, about 
two miles south of Pine Plains, as the location of one of 
the earliest Moravian missionary establishments among the 
Indians in this county. It is said to have been broken up 



AND CONNECTICUT. 17 

by military interference during the old " French War." 
Some memorials, however, still remain, which may hereafter 
afford matters of interest." And, again, in a report read 
at Zion Church, Wappinger's Creek, July 25th, 1850, oc- 
curs the following : " In the course of his labors, during the 
past six months, the missionary has been able to bring to 
light many most interesting and valuable facts relative to 
the Moravian missionary efforts among the Indians within 
the limits of this county, and along the line of Connecticut 
and Massachusetts — facts, that had been well-nigh for- 
gotten, the generation having passed away which was 
familiar with them, or, when recorded in books, recorded 
in connection with names which would not now at all be 
recognized by any person not living upon the spot. 

"At a place, then called Shekomeko, about two miles 
south of Pine Plains, was the first Moravian missionary 
establishment among the Indians in North America. Here 
was a church and a burying-ground, in which was stand- 
ing, until a few years, the gravestone of the principal mis- 
sionary. Two other burying-grounds have been identified, 
in each of which were standing, until recently, the grave- 
stones of Moravian missionaries — one in a perfect state of 
preservation, and the other broken and nearly ruined." 

With untiring diligence Mr. Davis prosecuted the 
investigations into which he had entered, manifesting as 
much interest in their success as if they related to the 
history of his own church. The result of his praiseworthy 
labors was made the subject of a lecture — ''The Moravians 
in Duchess County" — delivered before the " Pleasant Valley 
Lyceum" on the 31st of January, 1854 — read in the village 
of Sharon, Connecticut, on the 9th of March, of the same 
year, and published in pamphlet form under the title of 
"Shekomeko." at Poughkeepsie, in May of 1858. It would 
thus appear that Mr. Davis was the first to call the atten- 



18 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK AND CONNECTICUT. 

tion of the public, and that of the members of the Moravian 
Church, to the present condition of the old Mission stations 
in New York and Connecticut, after having succeeded in 
identifying their localities by judiciously reconciling the 
voice of tradition with the page of written history. 






PREFACE. 



The compilation of the following pages is a tribute of affectionate 
regard and admiration for the singular Christian faithfulness and zeal, as 
well as general soundness in Gospel doctrine, by which the Moravians have 
been distinguished. Nor has the striking fact been without its special 
interest, that from the beginning of their very extraordinary and most 
successful missionary movements they have ever been regarded with favor 
by the authorities of the Church of England as an ancient Protestant 
Episcopal Church, deriving its Apostolic authority at all times entirely 
independent of Rome, from the primitive times. The attention of the 
writer was first called to these interesting memorials in the discharge of his 
duties as missionary of Duchess County ; and the labor of collecting them 
has been more than rewarded in the contemplation of such noble examples 
of Christian devotion and Christian faith, and the manifest evidence of the 
Divine blessing. 

The principal books consulted have been — 

G. H. Loskiel's History of the United Brethren, 

Holmes's " " 

Crantz's 

Life of Count Zinzendorf, by Spangenberg, 

Heckewelder's Narrative, 

Southey's Life of Wesley, and the 

Documentary History of New York, volume III. 

Pleasaxt Valley, May 20th, 1858. 



S H E K M E Iv O . 



The memory of the wise and good, of the virtuous and 
just, of those who, unrewarded in this life, have been willing 
to labor and suffer for the benefit of their fellow-men, should 
ever ^e held in veneration, and should ever be cherished as 
the most valuable heritage to those who may afterwards 
profit by their example, or reap the fruits of their toil. 
All other worldly possessions are comparatively worthless. 
They decay and vanish, and ultimately come to nought, 

but 

The sweet remembrance of the just 
Shall nourish when they sleep in dust. 

It is with reference to such sentiments as these that we 
propose to call attention to, and to gather together for 
preservation, the scattered memorials of the ancient Mora- 
vian mission at Shekomeko, the first successful Moravian 
mission to the heathen in North America, and among the 
first efforts of a body of men, who, above all others, have 
distinguished themselves for their missionary zeal, and for 
the extraordinary success of their missionary labors. 

We would not willingly forget — we would rather embalm 
in our memories for perpetual preservation — the whole 
record of this worthy and noble people. But we feel espe- 
cially bound, as far as we are able, to rescue from oblivion 
such notices of their noble and self-denying deeds as form a 
part of the history of our own immediate vicinity, and to 
3 



22 SHEKOMEKO. 

appropriate as peculiarly our own, both as respects duty 
and privilege, the memory of good examples, and generous 
conduct, and self-denying devotion to the good of others, 
on the part of those to whom we have succeeded, and with 
whose names, in the order of time, on the ever-unfolding 
scroll of history, whether written or unwritten — doubtless 
written in the annals of Him who holds our times in his 
hand, our names shall also be inscribed. 

Before entering upon the more particular history of the 
mission at Shekomeko, we will briefly glance at the pre- 
vious history of this very remarkable people. 

The Moravians claim, and that claim has never, by 
intelligent historians, been disputed, to have descended 
from one of the earliest churches founded by the Apostle 
St. Paul in Illyricum (Rom. xv. 19), and by the Apostle 
Titus in Dalmatia (2 Tim. iv. 10), viz.: The Sclavonian 
branch of the Greek or Eastern Church. 

Christianity was introduced into Bohemia and Moravia 
by two Greek ecclesiastics, Cyrillus and Methodius, in the 
ninth century. About this time occurred the great schism 
between the Eastern and Western Churches, which has 
continued to the present day, and which is now represented, 
on the one hand, by the Greek Church of Constantinople 
and Russia and their dependencies, now numbering some 
sixty or seventy millions of souls, and, on the other hand, 
by the Church of Rome, the Church of England, the Mora- 
vian, and other Protestant Churches. 

The Bohemian and Moravian Churches were thus unfor- 
tunately placed between two powerful antagonistic bodies, 
both of whom, but especially the Church of Rome, never 
scrupled to use the civil sword with all its power to enforce 
submission to its decrees, and to compel obedience to the 
doctrines and practices which it enjoined. The controversy 
arose in the first place from the infamous attempt of the 



SHEKOMEKO. 23 

Church of Rome to impose upon the Eastern Church by its 
own authority an alteration of the acknowledged symbol of 
Christendom, the Nicene creed, and thus to pave the way 
for those subsequent corruptions of primitive truth which 
has indelibly stamped upon the forehead of the Papacy the 
mark of anti-Christ. 

The Bohemians and Moravians adhered to their ancient 
faith ; and hence a long series of the most bitter persecutions 
fell upon them in order to subject them, if possible, to the 
Papal See. These persecutions they endured in common 
with the Waldenses of France and Italy, with whom, for 
the most part, they symbolized in doctrine, and for a con- 
siderable period were apparently identified. Indeed, Peter 
Waldo, the reputed founder of the Waldensian Churches, 
is said to have finally settled and found a grave in Bohemia. 
From this period to the rise of John Wickliffe, at Oxford, 
in England, in the early part of the 14th century, and of 
John Huss and Jerome, of Prague, in the latter part of the 
same century, the Bohemians, Moravians, and Waldenses, 
continued to suffer similar persecutions until the beginning 
of the Reformation, when, for the most part, they became 
absorbed in that general movement ; and though the Mora- 
vians in particular retained their ancient regimen, still they 
are little known in the history of subsequent times, except 
under the general name of Protestants, a term which em- 
braces everything hostile, and often nothing but what is 
hostile, to the Church of Pome. As will appear in the 
sequel, the Moravian Church was founded not so much on 
protest against Pome as on the basis of the original Chris- 
tian faith. 

With reference to John Huss, who is particularly claimed 
by the Moravians as a representative of their Church, but 
who was cruelly martyred by the Papists in 1415, and who, 
among his last words while burning at the stake, as if in 



24 SHEK0MEK0. 

prophetic foresight of the dawning Reformation, exclaimed 
to his tormentors, " A hundred years hence, and you shall 
answer for this before God and me." We cannot forbear 
to present the testimony of the principal nobility of Bohe- 
mia to the Romish Council of Constance in that year. 
" We know not for what purpose you have condemned 
John Huss, Bachelor in Divinity, and preacher of the Gos- 
pel. You have put him to a cruel and ignominious death, 
though convicted of no heresy. We protest with the heart, 
as well as with the lips, that he was honest, just, and ortho- 
dox ; that for many years he had his conversation among 
us with godly and blameless manners ; that during these 
many years he explained to us the Gospel and the books 
of the Old and New Testament according to the exposition 
of the doctors approved by the Church ; and that he has 
left behind him writings in which he denounces all heresy. 
He taught us to detest everything heretical. He exhorted 
us to the practice of peace and charity, and his life exhibited 
a distinguished example of these virtues." 

The name of Unitas Fratrum, or United Brethren, was 
the result of a formal union, in 1457-60, between the 
Moravians, Bohemians, and Waldenses, all of whom after- 
wards, so far as they were distinctly known, bore the title 
of United Brethren, commonly called Moravians. About 
this time lived Gregory, afterwards styled the Patriarch of 
the Brethren, and synods were frequently held for the 
promotion of their common interests. " A most important 
subject of their deliberations," says one of their historians, 
"both at their synods and at other times, was how to 
maintain a regular succession of their ministers when those 
who now exercised the ministry should be removed by 
death or other causes." Suitable measures were therefore 
taken for this purpose, which have been constantly and 
regularly sustained up to the present day. The Moravians, 



SHEKOMEKO. 25 

like all the old Eastern Churches, claim to have practically, 
as well as theoretically, maintained an uninterrupted suc- 
cession of bishops from the Apostolic times. And, notwith- 
standing all the fiery trials and persecutions through which 
they have passed, they are well able to establish that claim 
to the satisfaction of all reasonable and intelligent men. It 
was made a special subject of investigation in the early part 
of the last century by the very learned and celebrated Arch- 
bishop Potter, whose deliberate opinion is fully endorsed 
by Dr. Bowden and the great mass of learned men in the 
Church whose attention has been called to this subject. 1 

The Moravians were the first Christian society who 
employed the newly-invented art of printing for the publi- 
cation of the Holy Scriptures in a living language, for 
general distribution among the people. The first edition 
was published at Venice about the year 1470, being the 
oldest printed version of the Bible in any European lan- 
guage. Before the commencement of the Reformation by 
Luther, in 1517, the Moravians had already issued three 
editions of the Scriptures. 

After this, however, they were subjected to a series of 
most violent persecutions until they were apparently well- 
nigh extinguished. In the midst of the greatest trials, 
apprehensions, and fears, yet hoping against hope, their 
extinction was prevented, and their restoration was again 
commenced by John Amos Comenius, who was consecrated 
a bishop of the Brethren's Church in 1632, and who made 
earnest and repeated applications to all the Protestant 

1 Opinion of Archbishop Potter, regarding the Moravians in 1*731 : 
" That the Moravian Brethren were an Apostolic and Episcopal Church, 
not sustaining any doctrine repugnant to the thirty-nine Articles of the 
Church of England ; that they, therefore, could not, with propriety, nor 
ought to be hindered from preaching the Gospel to the heathen." — Crantz'a 
History of the United Brethren, p. 214. 



26 SHEK0MEK0. 

princes in Europe, and particularly to the English nation, 
the most powerful support of Protestantism, to patronize 
the suffering Church to which he belonged. Nor were 
these applications unsuccessful. A strong sympathy was 
created in England in their favor, and in 1715 an order 
was issued from the Privy Council, "For the relief and for 
preserving the Episcopal Churches in Great Poland and 
Polish Russia." 

This brings us down to nearly the period when, under 
the direction of Christian David and Count Zinzendorf, 
who had just established themselves in Hermlmt, in Ger- 
many, the Moravians commenced their very remarkable and 
successful labors among the heathen, and found their way 
for this purpose first to Greenland, in 1733, a mission 
which has been singularly prosperous, and very noted up 
to the present day; then to the Creek and Cherokee 
Indians in Georgia, under the patronage and with the aid 
of the distinguished George Whitefield and John AVcsley, 
in 1735; and then, after the establishment of their colony 
at Bethlehem, their head-quarters in this country, to these 
shores, and to the Mohican and Wampanoag Indians at 
Shekomeko and its vicinity. 

In the language of the late celebrated poet James Mont- 
gomery, who was himself a Moravian, brought up an 
orphan among the Moravians, the son of Moravian parents, 
who died on the missionary field in the West Indies, and 
the largest and most liberal supporter of the Moravian 
missions — 

'Twas thus through centuries she rose and fell, 
At length victorious seemed the gates of hell ; 
But founded on a rock which cannot move — 
Th' eternal rock of the Redeemer's love — 
That Church which Satan's legions thought destro; 
Her name extinct, her place forever void, 



SHEKOMEKO. 27 

Alive once more, respired her native air, 
But found no freedom for the voice of prayer. 
Then Christian David, strengthened from above, 
Wise as the serpent, harmless as the dove, 
Bold as a lion on his Master's part, 
In zeal a seraph, and a child in heart, 
Plucked from the gripe of antiquated laws 
(Even as a mother from the felon jaws 
Of a lean wolf that bears her babe away, 
With courage beyond nature, rends the prey) 
The little remnant of that ancient race. 
Far in Lusatian wilds they found a place ; 
There, where the sparrow builds her busy nest, 
And the clime-changing swallow loves to rest, 
Thine altar, God of Hosts ! there still appear 
The tribes to worship unassailed by fear ; 
Not like their fathers vexed from age to age 
By blatant bigotry's insensate rage ; 
Abroad in every place, in every hour 
Awake, alert, and ramping to devour. 
No, peaceful as the spot where Jacob slept, 
And guard all night the journeying angels kept, 
Herrnhut yet stands amidst her sheltered bowers ; 
The lord hath set his watch upon her towers. 

Greenland. 

At Herrnhut, in the province of Upper Lusatia in Ger- 
many, was established upon the estate of Count Zinzendorf, 
a German nobleman, by the emigrant Bohemians and Mo- 
ravians, the Church to which, through long ages of perse- 
cution and suffering, their ancestors in the faith, like 
themselves, had most rigidly and faithfully adhered. 

The point in their organization to which they attached 
the utmost importance was strict adherence to the model 
of the Primitive Church, both in doctrine and practice, as 
it had been retained by them, for the most part, in con- 
formity to the Greek ritual, but ever in determined and 
uncompromising hostility to the corruptions of Home, from 
their Sclavonian ancestors in the primitive times. 



28 SHEKOMEKO. 

The Moravians have always refused to be recognized as 
a sect, and have in numerous instances protested against 
the use of that term as descriptive of their history or cha- 
racter. And though several individuals have at different 
times attained to great distinction among them, yet they 
have steadily declined either to place themselves under the 
direction of any individual leader or to be known or recog- 
nized as the followers or adherents of any one man. 

The term by which they designate themselves, and by 
which they prefer to be designated, is that of United 
Brethren, as best descriptive of the actual composition of 
the body, and as marking that great principle of Christian 
unity on which they so strongly insist as essential to the 
integrity of the Christian Church. 

In doctrine they are thoroughly sound and orthodox. 
Their system of faith would probably be regarded by the 
great mass of the Christian world as less objectionable 
than, perhaps, that of any other Christian body now in 
existence, harmonizing very closely with that of the Church 
of England, and avoiding with almost superhuman exact- 
ness, on either hand, the peculiar dogmas of the Lutheran, 
the Calvinistic, and the Arminian systems, as well as the 
gross pollution, tyranny, and idolatry of Rome. And its 
practical working, as carried out in their extensive and 
very extraordinary missionary operations, presents a pleas- 
ing and most interesting development of practical and 
experimental piety, in close combination with strict sacra- 
mental observances ; a careful preparation, on the one hand, 
for the reception of the appointed ordinances of the Gospel, 
and the full recognition, on the other, of all those spiritual 
graces and gifts which were uniformly held by all the early 
Christian Churches to belong to the sacramental seals of 
the covenant of God. " The zeal of the Moravian body," 
says William Wilberforce, " is a zeal tempered with pru- 



SHEK0MEK0. 29 

dence, softened with meekness, soberly aiming at great 
ends by the gradual operation of well-adapted means, sup- 
ported by a courage which no danger can intimidate, and a 
quiet constancy which no hardships can exhaust." 

It is a remarkable and very significant circumstance, 
that the founder of Methodism, the Rev. John Wesley, was 
a contemporary with Count Zinzendorf, the distinguished 
Bishop of the Moravians ; and that, for a considerable 
length of time, he was intimately associated with the Mo- 
ravians, and derived directly from them the most important 
modifications and improvements of his religious character, 
and the germs and principles of that great religious move- 
ment, in which he was so prominent an actor. The Method- 
ist Discipline was the work of John Wesley, at a period 
when he was in constant intercourse with the Moravians, 
who, by his own confession, became his teachers in some of 
the most important Christian principles, and especially in 
those which have constituted the real strength of Methodism 
up to the present time — the subjective influence of Christian 
faith and hope. 

The circumstance which first and most deeply affected 
him, was the calmness and composure which the Moravians 
were able to maintain in scenes of the greatest danger and 
terror. For example — During their passage from England 
to Georgia, they were overtaken by a furious storm, and, 
while the missionaries were at prayers, a tremendous wave 
struck the vessel, and poured a flood of water over them. 
Wesley, thoroughly alarmed, cried out with consternation 
and fear ; while the Moravians, women and children, as 
well as men, quietly continued their devotions, with no ap- 
parent apprehension or fear, and as though that which they 
taught were indeed felt to be a reality — that death was not 
loss, but gain. 

In many respects, also, Count Zinzendorf and the Rev. 



30 SHEKOMEKO. 

John Wesley were kindred spirits. Both were exceedingly 
enthusiastic in their temperament. Both were greatly in- 
clined to depend on their feelings and mental impressions 
in matters of religion. And both, from their youth, were 
strongly inclined to dwell upon the supernatural in all the 
affairs of life. 

The Moravians, from the beginning, have confined their 
missionary labors to the conversion of the heathen. They 
have always held it un-Christian to build upon other men's 
foundations, or to proselyte from other religious bodies, 
whose full Christian character they recognized. And hence 
their establishments at Herrnhut in Germany, at Fulneck in 
England, and at Bethlehem in Pennsylvania, are little else 
than missionary colleges adapted to preparation for the 
work which they regard as more peculiarly their own ; the 
preaching of the Gospel to the heathen, and proclaiming the 
glad tidings of Gospel grace to those who have never heard 
of a Saviour, but are still sitting in the region and shadow 
of death. 

After their abandonment of the mission to the Indians 
in Georgia, which was dispersed on account of political 
troubles with the Spaniards, the Moravians sought the op- 
portunity to engage in some other field of labor, where they 
might, if possible, without interference, proclaim the glad 
tidings of salvation to the benighted savages of this, then 
new and sparsely inhabited country. One of the Brethren, 
therefore, Christian Henry Rauch, was dispatched for this 
purpose to New York. 

The instructions given to such missionaries were to this 
effect : " That they should silently observe, whether any of 
the heathen had been prepared by the grace of God to re- 
ceive and believe the Word of Life. If even only one were 
to be found, then they should preach the Gospel to him; for 
God must give to the heathen ears to hear the Gospel, and 



SHEKOMEKO. 31 

hearts to receive it, otherwise all their labors upon them 
would be in vain. They were to preach chiefly to such as 
had never heard of the Gospel — not to build upon founda- 
tions laid by others, nor to disturb their work, but to seek 
the outcast and the forsaken." 

Br. Rauch arrived at New York, July 16th, 1740, where 
he unexpectedly met with the Missionary Frederick Martin, 
from St. Thomas, West Indies, by whom he was introduced 
to several influential persons, who, it was thought, would 
take an interest in the work, and from whom he expected 
to derive information with reference to the Indians, and 
with regard to the best mode of gaining an influence with 
them. But they, unanimously, discouraged the attempt, 
telling him plainly, that every such attempt had been thus 
far an utter failure, that the Indians were, universally, of 
such a vicious and abandoned character, that all efforts at 
their improvement or reformation would be dangerous as 
well as utterly in vain. Not at all discouraged, however, 
by this representation, in a manner characteristic of the 
Moravians, he proceeded to seek out an embassy of Mohican 
Indians, who had lately arrived, in New York, on business 
with the Colonial Government, and sought an opportunity 
of conversing with them, which he found he could do in the 
Dutch language, with which, from their intercourse with 
the Dutch settlements along the Hudson River, he found 
that they were slightly acquainted. At his first visit, and, 
indeed, for a considerable length of time, he found them in 
a state of beastly intoxication and terribly ferocious in their 
appearance and manners. Carefully watching, however, an 
opportunity of finding them sober, he, at last, addressed 
himself to two of the principal chiefs, Tschoop and Shabash, 
and, without ceremony, asked them, whether they wished 
for a teacher to instruct them in the way of salvation. 
Tschoop answered in the affirmative, adding, that he fre- 



32 SHEKOMEKO. 

quently felt disposed to know better things than he did, but 
knew not how nor where to find them ; therefore, if any one 
would come and instruct him and his acquaintance, he 
should be thankful. Shabash, also, giving his assent, the 
missionary rejoiced to hear the declaration, considered it as 
a call from God, and promised at once to accompany them, 
and to visit their people, upon which " they declared him 
to be their teacher with true Indian solemnity." 

The place to which the devoted missionary, led by these 
wild savages, now directed his steps, was Shekomeko, the 
beautiful Indian name of the region now known as Pine 
Plains, Duchess County, New York. The site of the ancient 
Indian village was about two miles south of the present vil- 
lage, near " the Bethel." It was located on the farm now 
occupied by Mr. Edward Hunting, a most beautiful and 
romantic spot — such a spot as those who appreciate the 
nobler traits of the Indian character, would be prepared to 
find a chosen Indian haunt, and where a passing traveller 
might even now almost be disappointed not to be startled by 
the native whoop of the wild and ferocious red man of the 
forest, or at least to be charmed by the sweeter music of 
the Christian hymns taught them by the faithful Moravians, 
who, in their missionary huts, or in the woods and groves 
by which they were surrounded, often called to mind the 
favorite lines sung by the ancient Bohemian brethren: — 

The rugged rocks, the dreary wilderness, 
Mountains and woods, are our appointed place ; 
'Midst storms and waves, on heathen shores unknown, 
We have our temple, and serve our God alone. 

The proper Indian name Shekomeko, or Chicomico, is 
still, in good taste, retained ; for the stream, which rising 
near the "Federal Square," runs in a northerly direction, 
near the site of the ancient Indian village Shekomeko, and 
unites with the Koelif Jansen's Creek, in Columbia County. 



SHEKOMEKO. 33 

Br. Rauch arrived at Shekomeko, August 16th, 1740, 
and was received, in the Indian manner, with great kind- 
ness. He immediately spoke to them on the subject of 
man's redemption, and they listened with marked attention. 
But, on the next day, when he began to speak with them, he 
perceived, with sorrow, that his words excited derision, and, 
at last, they openly laughed him to scorn. Not discouraged, 
however, by this conduct, he persisted in visiting the In- 
dians daily in their huts, representing to them the evil of 
sin, and extolling the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ, 
and the full atonement made by him as the only way by 
which they might be saved from perdition. In these labors 
he encountered many hardships. Living after the -Indian 
manner, he had no means of transit from one place to an- 
other but on foot, through the wilderness; and suffering 
from heat and fatigue, he was often denied even the poor 
shelter of an Indian hut for refreshment and rest. 

His labors, however, did not long continue without their 
reward. The Indians became gradually more attentive to 
his instructions ; and, impressed with the devoted zeal with 
which he evidently labored for their good, so different from 
the ordinary conduct of the white man towards them, they 
began to treat him with greater confidence and respect. 
The first, who discovered any serious earnestness for salva- 
tion and desire to be instructed in the Gospel, was Tschoop, 
one of the two Indians whom the missionary had met in 
New York — the greatest drunkard and the most outrageous 
villain among them. To the great delight of the missionary. 
he asked: "What effect the blood of the Son of God, slain 
on the cross, could produce in the heart of man!" and he 
thus opened the way to a full explanation of the scheme of 
salvation through the blood and atonement of Jesus Christ. 
Shabash, also, soon began to exhibit a similar interest. 
And the work of the Holy Spirit, convincing them of sin, 



34: SHEKOMEKO. 

became remarkably evident in the hearts of these two 
savages. Their eyes would overflow with tears, whenever 
the faithful Moravian described to them the sufferings and 
death of our Redeemer. This unusual effect of the preach- 
ing of the Gospel upon the poor and despised Indians, 
who were commonly regarded by the whites as a horde of 
abandoned and incorrigible wretches, soon awakened their 
attention. And the missionary, who came to preach to the 
heathen, was now invited to preach to the white settlers 
also about Shekomeko, whose language, and especially whose 
vices, the degraded heathen had but learned too well. 

The change which took place in the character and con- 
duct of Tschoop was very striking. For he had been 
notorious for his wildness and recklessness, and had even 
made himself a cripple by his debauchery. Having become 
a preacher and an interpreter among the Indians, he re- 
lated, after the following manner, the occasion and circum- 
stances of his conversion : — 

" Brethren, I have been a heathen, and have grown old 
among the heathen, therefore I know how the heathen think. 
Once a preacher came and began to explain to us that there 
was a God. We answered : ' Dost thou think we are so 
ignorant as not to know that 1 Go back to the place from 
whence thou earnest.' Then, again, another preacher came 
and began to teach us and to say, 'You must not steal, nor 
lie, nor get drunk, etc' "We answered : ' Thou fool, dost 
thou think that we don't know that 1 Learn first thyself, 
and then teach the people to whom thou belongest, to leave 
off these things ; for who steal and lie, or who are more 
drunken than thine own people V And thus we dismissed 
him. After some time, Brother Christian Henry Rauch 
came into my hut and sat down by me. He spoke to me 
nearly as follows : ' I come to you in the name of the Lord 
of heaven and earth. He sends to let vou know that he is 



SHEKOMEKO. 35 

willing to make you happy, and to deliver you from the 
misery in which you are at present. To this end he be- 
came a man, gave his life as a ransom for man, and shed 
his blood for him.' When he had finished, he lay down 
upon a board, being fatigued with his journey, and fell into 
a sound sleep. I then thought, what kind of a man is this] 
There he lies and sleeps ; I might kill him and throw him 
into the woods, and who would regard if? But this gives 
him no concern. However, I could not forget his words. 
They constantly recurred to my mind. Even when I slept 
I dreamed of that blood which Christ shed for us. This 
was something different from what I had ever before heard. 
And I interpreted Christian Henry's words to the other 
Indians." 

But now many of the white settlers, who, while they cor- 
rupted and abused and vilified the Indians, lived upon their 
vices, and made large gains especially by their drunkenness, 
conceived that their interests would be injured by the suc- 
cess of the missionary. They therefore stirred up the more 
vicious Indians, and raised a persecution against him, and 
even instigated them to threaten his life if he did not leave 
the place. And no pains were spared on their part, to 
hinder the good work which he had begun among them, 
and even to seduce, if possible, into their former wretched 
way of life, the two chiefs whose remarkable conversion 
had become so notorious throughout the country. 

In this extremity, the name of John Rau should be men- 
tioned with honor, for his noble and disinterested protection 
and defence of the persecuted Moravian. He became his 
warm and steadfast friend, and, during all their subsequent 
troubles, he was the faithful and untiring advocate of the 
devoted missionaries ; and, until at last, by an unjust and 
persecuting act of the colonial government, they were 
driven from the province, he still adhered, and persuaded 
others to adhere to their righteous cause. 



36 SHEKOMEKO. 

Br. Rauch, by his meek and peaceable deportment, his 
prudent and cautious conduct, and his undaunted courage, 
praying for his enemies, and sowing the word of God in 
tears, for a time overcame, in great measure, all these ob- 
stacles. He regained the confidence of the Indians. He 
repelled the envious slanders of his enemies. And his work 
began again to flourish, and to gather new strength from 
the manifold difficulties and dangers with which he had 
been surrounded. Several new converts were made, and 
the mission assumed a highly interesting and promising 
character. In 1741, it was visited by Bishop David 
Nitschman, the companion and fellow-laborer of Count 
Zinzendorf. 

About this period was sent to Shekomeko from Beth- 
lehem, as a companion and aid of Rauch, the gentle and 
laborious Gottleib Buttner, a martyr to the blessed work 
upon which he then entered, and whose grave at Sheko- 
meko has called up, and preserved the memory of this noble 
effort of the Moravians, and whose brief history is of the 
greatest interest in connection with this mission. He 
preached for the first time to the Indians at Shekomeko, 
January 14, 1742, from Colossians i. 13: "Who hath de- 
livered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated 
us into the kingdom of his dear Son." 

February 11, 1742, were ordained deacons, at Oley in 
Pennsylvania, by the Bishops David Nitschman and Count 
Zinzendorf, the two missionaries from Shekomeko, Christian 
Henry Rauch and Gottleib Buttner. And on the same day 
Rauch, who, as well as Buttner, had heretofore acted as a 
layman, baptized three of the Indian converts who had ac- 
companied them from Shekomeko; the first fruits of perhaps 
the most remarkable Indian mission on record. 1 Tschoop 

1 These three Indians were, Shabosh, baptized Abraham ; Seim, Isaac ; 
and Kiop, Jacob. 



SHEKOMEKO. 37 

was not among them. From his lameness he had been 
unable to take the long journey. 

He was, however, baptized at Shekomeko on the 16th of 
April following, receiving the Christian name of John. 

The following is a portion of the letter dictated to the 
brethren on the occasion above referred to when his com- 
panions were baptized : — 

"I have been a poor, wild heathen, and for forty years 
as ignorant as a dog. I was the greatest drunkard, and 
the most willing slave of the devil ; and, as I knew nothing 
of our Saviour, I served vain idols, which I now wish to 
see destroyed with fire. Of this I have repented with 
many tears. When I heard that Jesus was also the Saviour 
of the heathen, and that I ought to give him my heart, I felt 
a drawing within me towards him. But my wife and chil- 
dren were my enemies; and my greatest enemy was my 
wife's mother. She told me that I was worse than a dog, if 
I no more believed in her idol. But, my eyes being opened, 
I understood that what she said was altogether folly, for I 
knew that she had received her idol from her grandmother. 
It is made of leather, and decorated with wampum, and she, 
being the oldest person in the house, made us worship it ; 
which we have done till our teacher came, and told us of 
the Lamb of God, who shed His blood, and died for us 
poor, ignorant people. 

" Now, I feel and believe that our Saviour alone can help 
me, by the power of His blood, and no other. I believe 
that he is my God and my Saviour, who died on the cross 
for me a sinner. I wish to be baptized, and long for it 
most ardently. I am lame, and cannot travel in winter, 
but in April or May I will come to you. 

" I am your poor, wild 

"TSCHOOP." 



38 SHEKOMEKO. 

The wonderful change which had taken place in this 
wild Indian, and in the others who had been baptized, 
awakened the attention of the other Indians, and from 
twenty and thirty miles round, they constantly flocked to 
Shekomeko to hear the new preacher, who spoke, to use 
their own language, " of a God who became a man, and had 
loved the Indians so much that he gave up his life to rescue 
them from the devil and from the service of sin." 

In the summer of 1742, the mission at Shekomeko was 
visited by the Bishop Count Zinzendorf, who was on this 
occasion accompanied by his beautiful and interesting 
daughter, Benigna. They crossed the country from Beth- 
lehem, in Pennsylvania, to Esopus (now Kingston), and 
arrived at Shekomeko on the 27th of August, " after pass- 
ing through," to use his own expression, " dreadful wilder- 
nesses, woods, and swamps, in which he and his companions 
suffered great hardships." Br. Rauch. received them into 
his hut with great joy, and, the clay following, lodged them 
in a cottage of bark. Count Zinzendorf afterwards declared 
this cottage to have been the most agreeable dwelling he 
had ever inhabited. On the occasion of this visit six In- 
dians were baptized by the missionary Rauch. A regular 
congregation was then formed, the first congregation of 
believing Indians established in North America, consisting 
of ten persons. 

September 4th, 1742, Count Zinzendorf took leave of 
this interesting mission, and was accompanied to Bethlehem 
by two Indians as guides, who were there baptized by Gott- 
leib Biittner, and called respectively David and Joshua. 
Count Zinzendorf assisted in the administration. This 
was the first baptism of Indians at Bethlehem. 

October 1st, 1742, Gottleib Biittner and his wife rejoined 
the missionary Rauch at Shekomeko, and devoted them- 
selves with great energy and success to the instruction of 



SHEKOMEKO. 39 

the Indians, constantly reading to them the Holy Scriptures, 
and explaining to them the doctrines of the Word of God. 

December 6th, 1742, was laid out a burying-ground for 
the use of the baptized, the same in which the missionary 
Biittner was afterwards buried. At the end of the year 
1742, the number of baptized Indians in Shekomeko was 
thirty-one. 

About this time arrived Martin Mack and his wife to as- 
sist in the mission. Br. Mack, however, soon took charge of 
the station at Pachgatgoch (now Scaticook, at Kent, Conn.), 
where the success of the Moravians was even greater than 
at Shekomeko, and where, at intervals, they continued to 
labor for more than twenty years. A portion of the tribe 
is still remaining, and their history is full of melancholy 
interest, and worthy of an imperishable record. 

March 13th, 1743. The holy communion was, after due 
preparation, for the first time, administered to the firstlings 
of the Indian nations at Shekomeko. It was preceded by 
a love feast, and followed by the pedilavium, or washing of 
one another's feet ; both of which are established customs 
among the Moravians. The missionary writes : " While I 
live I shall never lose the impression this first communion 
with the Indians in North America made upon me." 

In July, 1743, the new chapel at Shekomeko was finished 
and consecrated. The building was thirty feet long and 
twenty broad. It was entirely covered with smooth bark. 
It is represented to have been a very appropriate and com- 
modious building, quite striking in its appearance, and of 
great convenience to the mission. It was constantly open 
on Sundays and on festival occasions, and the greatest 
interest was exhibited by the Indians in the religious 
services which were regularly and constantly held in their 
new chapel. But troubles now began again to thicken 
upon the missionaries and their new converts. " The white 



40 SHEKOMEKO. 

people who had been accustomed to make the dissolute life 
of the Indians, but chiefly their love of ardent spirits, sub- 
servient to their advantage, were greatly enraged when 
they saw that the Indians began to turn from their evil 
doings, and to avoid all those sinful practices which had 
been so profitable to the traders. They therefore caught at 
every false rumor and evil imputation which was put in 
circulation against the missionaries. They were publicly 
branded with the epithets of papists and traitors ; and the 
public authorities both in New York and Connecticut were 
called upon to interfere for the purpose of banishing them 
from the country. Three of them were taken up at Pach- 
gatgoch, and after being dragged up and down the country 
for three days, they were, upon a hearing, honorably dis- 
missed by the Governor of Connecticut ; yet their accusers 
insisted upon their being bound over in a penalty of one 
hundred pounds to keep the laws of the country, when they 
immediately retired to Shekomeko, whither they were fol- 
lowed by many of the Indians whom they had instructed, 
and where many others constantly resorted to them to 
receive their instructions." 

No charges could be more preposterous and utterly with- 
out foundation than those of papists and traitors against 
the harmless Moravians, whose whole previous history as a 
people consisted of little else than an account of their 
good works and the persecutions and sufferings which, on 
account of them, they had endured at the hand of the 
Church of Rome, and who had always made it a fixed 
principle of their policy never to interfere with the politics 
of the countries where they sojourned, but to labor simply 
for the spiritual benefit of their fellow-men, even offering, 
though the sacrifice was not required, to sell themselves for 
slaves in the West Indies, in order to gain an opportunity 
of instructing the poor negroes, and who were rewarded for 



SHEKOMEKO. 41 

such self-devotion by almost unbounded success, in a short 
period numbering their converts by thousands among that 
neglected and degraded race. 

Just previous to the departure of Count Zinzendorf to 
Europe, in the beginning of the year 1743, he sent Br. 
Shaw to Shekomeko as a schoolmaster to the Indian child- 
ren ; and not long after, the brethren Pyrleus, and Sense- 
man, and Frederic Post (the last of whom had married 
a baptized Indian woman), with their wives, joined the 
mission. 

At the close of the year 1743, the congregation of 
baptized Indians in Shekomeko consisted of sixty-three 
persons, exclusive of those belonging to the neighboring 
station at Pachgatgoch, and a much greater number of 
constant and regular hearers. 

About this time, however, commenced the difficulties 
between the French and English Governments with refer- 
ence to the colonial boundaries, which, a few years after- 
wards, resulted in the bloody war in which our great and 
good Washington first distinguished himself as a soldier. 
In the intrigues connected with these troubles, the Romish 
Jesuits, as usual, were incessantly employed on the part of 
the French to alienate the various Indian tribes from the 
English colonies, and to prepare them, in the event of war, 
to act efficiently in their favor in the sanguinary contest. 
The fears of the white settlers in all parts of the country 
were thoroughly alarmed. The Indians were generally 
looked upon as enemies, and any man who befriended them 
was almost necessarily regarded as a confidant or spy of the 
French, or of the treacherous and malignant Jesuits. 

This state of the public mind afforded an excellent 
opportunity for the enemies of the missionaries at Sheko- 
meko to give currency to false and injurious reports with 
reference to them. They were charged with being Papists 



42 SHEKOMEKO. 

and Jesuits in disguise, who were only preparing the 
Indians for a general massacre of the colonists ; and they 
were accused of having arms secreted for that purpose. 
These reports so terrified the inhabitants that many of them 
forsook their farms, and the others placed themselves under 
arms for their mutual defence. 

March 1st, 1744, Mr. Justice Hagaman, of Filkentown 
(now Mabbitsville, or Little Rest), visited Shekomeko, and 
informed the missionaries that it was his duty to inquire 
what sort of people the Brethren were, for that the most 
dangerous tenets were ascribed to them ; that for himself, 
however, he gave no credit to the lying reports which were 
circulated concerning them, and he was fully convinced 
that the mission at Shekomeko was indeed a work of God, 
because, by the labors of the Brethren, the most savage 
heathen had been so evidently changed that he and many 
other Christians were put to shame by their godly walk 
and conversation. Buettner, the principal missionary, was 
at this time absent in Bethlehem. Immediately upon his 
return, the missionaries were summoned to Pickipsi (Pough- 
keepsie) to exercise with the militia, which they refused on 
the ground that, as ministers of the Gospel, they could not 
legally be required to bear arms. 

On June 24th, 1744, a justice of the peace arrived at 
Shekomeko from Pickipsi to examine into the whole affair. 
He admitted that the accusations made against the mission- 
aries were entirely groundless ; but he required them to 
take two oaths, as involving the matters concerning which 
they had been accused, and which had been the occasion of 
the interference of the Government : — 

1st. That King George being the lawful sovereign of the 
kingdom, they would not in any way encourage the Pre- 
tender. 



SHEKOMEKO. 43 

2d. That they rejected Transubstantiation, the worship 
of the Virgin Mary, Purgatory, etc. 

To every point contained in these oaths, Buttner 
assured him that they could entirely agree. And though 
they could not in good conscience take an oath, being 
restrained by the religious principles which, as members of 
the Brethren's Church, they had adopted, yet they were 
willing to be bound to the last extremity, by their asseve- 
ration, yes or no. The justice expressed his satisfaction 
for the present, but required them to be bound over in a 
penalty of forty pounds to appear before the court in Pick- 
ipsi on the 16th of October following. 

On June 22d they were summoned to Reinbeck, where 
they were called upon in public court, before Justice Beek- 
man, to prove that they were privileged teachers. Buttner 
produced his written vocation and his certificate of ordina- 
tion, duly signed by Bishop David Nitschman. 

And again on the 14th of July, on account of the increas- 
ing public dissatisfaction, they were required by the magis- 
trates to appear at Filkentown ; and here, while no reliable 
testimony appeared against them, their firm friend, John 
Rau, appeared in their favor, and gave a decisive and 
noble testimony, from his oavii intimate knowledge, in their 
defence. 

In the mean time their adversaries had repeatedly ac- 
cused them before the Hon. George Clinton, then Governor 
of the colony of New York, until he finally resolved to send 
for them, and to examine into the truth of these startling 
reports. Buttner and Senseman, from Shekomeko, and 
Shaw, from Bethlehem, went accordingly to New York, 
and found upon their arrival that the attention of the 
whole town was aroused concerning them. Mr. Justice 
Beekman, however, who had before examined them in 
Reinbeck, publicly took their part in New York, and 



44 SHEKOMEKO. 

affirmed that " the good done by them among the Indians 
was undeniable." 

The commencement of these proceedings before the 
Governor of New York was at a council, held at the coun- 
cil chamber in the city of New York on the fifth of July, 
1744, at which his Excellency communicated to the Board 
that he had sent letters to Col. Henry Beekman, one of his 
Majesty's justices of the peace for Duchess County, and 
colonel of the militia for that county, acquainting him with 
the information which he had received concerning the 
Moravians, and requiring him to make the necessary in- 
vestigation. 

His Excellency also communicated to the Board a letter 
from Col. Beekman to the effect that there were four Mora- 
vian priests and many Indians at Schacomico, and that he 
had made search for arms and ammunition, but could find 
none, nor hear of any ; but that before the receipt of his 
Excellency's order, the sheriff, justice of the peace, and 
eight others, were at Schacomico, where they found all the 
Indians at work on their plantations, who seemed in a 
consternation at the approach of the sheriff and his com- 
pany, but received them civilly ; that they found no ammu- 
nition and as few arms as could be expected for such a 
number of men ; that they denied that they were disaffected 
to the crown, saying that they themselves were afraid of 
the French and of their Indians, and that their only busi- 
ness at Schacomico was to gain souls among the heathen ; 
that they had a commission from the Archbishop of Canter- 
bury, and were ready to show their credentials ; that the 
justice demanded of them to take the oaths, but they 
refused, as they alleged, through a scruple of conscience ; 
and that the justice then bound them over to answer what 
should be objected against them. 

Upon the examination of the missionaries Biittner, 



SHEKOMEKO. 45 

Shaw, and Senseman, before the Governor and council, 
these statements were again reiterated, and were made the 
subject of careful and deliberate investigation. And at a 
subsequent meeting of the council it was concluded : " As 
to the Moravian priests: The General Assembly of this 
province having ordered in a bill for the securing this, his 
Majesty's Government, the council were of opinion to 
advise his Excellency to order the Moravian priests back 
to their homes, and required them to live there peaceably, 
and await the further orders of his Excellency." 

The prosecution of the Moravians thus far was under the 
Provincial law against the Jesuits, passed July 31st, 1700. 
The bill, above referred to, passed the colonial Assembly, 
September 21st, 1744. It expired by its own limitation, 
September 21st, 1745. Only the title is published in any 
copy of the colonial laws, to which the writer has been 
able, as yet, to gain access. But that it was to the last de- 
gree unjust and persecuting, evidently appears from all the 
documentary evidence connected with it. Indeed, the earn- 
est protest of Count Zinzendorf, and other leading Moravi- 
ans, together with the demand of the Board of Trade, for 
an explanation, induced the governor and council to publish, 
officially, the reasons which they supposed had influenced 
the Assembly in the passage of the law — a document which, 
for its misconceptions of the real character of the zealous 
and good men, against whom it was aimed, and the odious 
imputations which it casts upon them, is seldom equalled. 1 
It is some palliation, perhaps, of these persecuting measures, 
that the public mind was exceedingly sensitive, and that 
the whole country was filled with rumors to the prejudice 
of the harmless Moravians. But, on the other hand, it is 
equally true, that they had fully proved themselves clear of 

1 Doc. Hist, of New York, vol. iii. p. 1022. 



46 SHEKOMEKO. 

every charge that had been preferred against them, and, 
finally, secured a full vindication by the highest authority 
of the British Government. For, by an act of the British 
Parliament, passed May 12th, 1749:— 

"1. The Unitas Fratrum were acknowledged as an ancient 
Protestant Episcopal Church. 

" 2. Those of its members who scrupled to take an oath, 
were exempted from it, on making a declaration in the 
presence of Almighty God, as witness of the truth. 

" 3. They were exempted from acting as jurymen. 

" 4. They were entirely exempted from military duty 
under reasonable conditions!" 

Such was the ultimate result of the remonstrances of the 
Moravians to the British and Colonial Governments. A 
result, however, so tardy as that, though it aided their sub- 
sequent missionary efforts, it was yet of little or no service 
to the poor Christian Indians and their self-denying teach- 
ers at Shekomeko. 

September 9th, 1744, Biittner was again required to ap- 
pear at Pickipsi ; but was again honorably dismissed. So 
that, notwithstanding all the trouble and vexation to which 
they had been subjected, they were found to be entirely 
innocent, and had established the conviction, in the minds 
of the great mass of the people, of their entire sincerity, 
and of the great good arising from their labors. 

Their adversaries were therefore foiled in this direction. 
But they had adopted other expedients which were more 
successful; for, on the 15th of December, 1744, the sheriff 
and three justices of the peace arrived at Shekomeko, and, 
in the name of the governor and council of New York, 
prohibited all meetings of the Brethren, and commanded 
the missionaries to appear before the court, at Pickipsi, on 
the seventeenth. Biittner being ill, the other missionaries 
alone appeared, when the act before referred to, which had 






SHEKOMEKO. 47 

been passed with special reference to their case, was read 
to them; by which the ministers of the congregation of the 
Brethren employed in teaching the Indians were expelled 
the country, under pretence of being in league with the 
French, and forbidden, under a heavy penalty, ever more 
to appear among the Indians, without having first taken the 
oaths of allegiance. 

Soon afterwards, the station at Shekomeko was visited 
by the Moravian Bishop, A. G. Spangenberg, with the view 
of devising some means by which the missionaries might 
still carry on their work. But, all in vain. After a stay of 
two weeks, he was obliged to leave the converted Indians, 
and their friends, still exposed to all the evil influences by 
which they were surrounded. 

"And not long after," says the Moravian historian, "the 
white people came to a resolution to drive the believing 
Indians from Shekomeko, by main force, on pretence that 
the ground on which the town was built belonged to others. 
The white people took possession of the land, and then ap- 
pointed a watch to prevent all visits from the Moravians at 
Bethlehem." 

Thus, by such unworthy means, was summarily broken 
up and dispersed the most promising and the most import- 
ant mission to the aborigines, in this country, which had as 
yet been established — a mission which, if it had continued, 
might have preserved a remnant of that unhappy people, 
who were soon afterward dispersed and scattered abroad, 
never again to be gathered, and never again to be blessed 
with such noble and self-denying teachers as the faithful 
Moravians, who labored with such devoted zeal at Sheko- 
meko. 

Gottleib Biittner soon ended his weary pilgrimage. He 
gently and happily fell asleep in Christ on February 23d, 
1745, in the twenty-ninth year of his age. Blessed be his 



48 SHEKOMEKO. 

memory. The Indians wept over him like children over a 
beloved parent. They dressed his corpse in white, and 
buried him with great solemnity in the burying-ground at 
Shekomeko, watering his grave with their tears, and for a 
long time afterwards they used to visit and weep over it. 
The stone afterwards placed over his grave contained the 
following inscription, in German : " Here lies the body of 
Gottleib Biittner, who, according to the commandment of 
his crucified God and Saviour, brought the glad tidings to 
the heathen, that the blood of Jesus had made an atonement 
for their sins. As many as embraced this doctrine in faith 
were baptized into the death of the Lord. His last prayer 
was that they might be preserved until the day of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. He was born Dec. 29th, 1716, and fell asleep 
in the Lord February 23d, 1745." 

Only a small portion of this stone, very much mutilated 
and scarcely at all intelligible, is still preserved. The lo- 
cality is still shown by the proprietor, Mr. Edward Hunting, 
as also the locality of the missionary buildings, some por- 
tions of the foundations of which are still recognized. The 
orchard planted by the missionaries has, within a few years 
past, with the exception of a single apple-tree, entirely dis- 
appeared: and the medicinal roots which they cultivated 
have, until quite recently, refused to quit their home in the 
soil, but, as if prompted by the instinct of Moravian zeal 
and love to man, have remained a blessing to those who 
have since continued to dwell about the spot. 

The effect of the persecuting measures of their enemies, 
and the death of their beloved teacher, was exceedingly 
disheartening to the poor Indians. A portion of them re- 
moved to Pachgatgoch, where they attempted to make 
themselves a home among the tribe which resided there. 
Another portion formed a colony at Wechquatnach, on the 
eastern border of Indian Pond (Indian, Wequagnok, or 



SHEK0MEK0. 49 

Wequodnoc), in the town of Sharon, Conn. And at this place 
was formed an Indian congregation under the charge of the 
Moravians. David Bruce, a Moravian missionary, a Scotch- 
man by birth, was appointed to the station, where he died 
greatly lamented in 1749. When the soil came into the 
possession of the present occupant, Mr. Andrew Lake, the 
gravestone was missing ; but a portion of it containing the 
inscription was afterwards found, laid as a common stone 
into a stone wall. The inscription is as follows : " David 
Bruce, from Edinburgh, in Scotland, Minister of the Breth- 
ren's Church among the Indians. Departed 1749." 

After the dispersion of the Indians at Wechquatnach, a 
Moravian congregation of white persons seems to have been 
established on the western side of Indian Pond in the town 
of Northeast, on the present farm of Mr. Douglass Clark. 
Here was a meeting-house built, which was standing until 
within a few years; and near the spot, in an adjoining 
burying-ground, is the grave of the Rev. Joseph Powell — 
doubtless the Moravian missionary of that name. As ap- 
pears from the stone which stood at his grave, he died in 
1774, aged sixty-three years. 1 

Another portion of the Indian congregation at Shekomeko 
emigrated with their teachers to Pennsylvania, where they 
attempted to form a colony, which was fruitless. The name 
given to this colony, as significant of the condition and 
hopes of the Indians, was Freiclenshiitten (tents of peace). 

1 1753. In the province of New York and New England, where the 
Brethren formerly suffered much, they were now invited to preach. In the 
city of New York itself they built a church, and the evangelical testimony 
and exemplary work of those brethren who, as missionaries, ministered in 
the gospel to the Indians at Pachgatgoch and Wechquatnach in New 
England, left a good impression in those parts. Their white neighbors in 
Duchess Co., New York Government, begged for and obtained a minister 
from Bethlehem. — Crantz's History of the United Brethren, page 401. 



50 SHEKOMEKO. 

These Indians finally settled at Gnadenhiitten (tents of 
grace). Among the Christian Indians who settled there 
was the noble Indian interpreter, John, formerly Tschoop. 
John finally became a victim, at Bethlehem, of that terrible 
scourge of the Indians, the smallpox. " As a heathen," 
says the Moravian historian, " John distinguished himself 
by his sinful practices. And, as his vices became the more 
seductive on account of his natural wit and humor, so as a 
Christian he became a most powerful and persuasive witness 
of our Saviour among his nation. His gifts were sanctified 
by the grace pf God, and employed in such a manner as to 
be the means of blessing, both to Europeans and Indians. 
Few of his countrymen could vie with him in point of 
Indian oratory. His discourses were full of animation, and 
his words penetrated like fire into the hearts of his country- 
men. In short, he appeared chosen by God to be a witness 
to his people, and was four years active in this service. 
Nor was he less respected as a chief among the Indians ; no 
affairs of state being transacted without his advice and 
consent. During his illness, the believing Indians went 
often, and stood weeping around his bed. Even then he 
spoke, with power and energy, of the truth of the Gospel, 
and in all things he approved himself, to his last breath, as 
a minister of God." 

John died at Bethlehem, August 27th, 1746, where his 
remains now lie buried with those of many other Indians. 

Driven from their ancestral home, and deprived of their 
new-born Christian privileges and hopes, by the rapacious 
and unprincipled hostility of the white man, the ultimate 
dispersion and final annihilation of this interesting tribe of 
Indians is only the more affecting, because they had ex- 
hibited so great a capacity for Christian instruction, and 
because their whole history places in so strong a light the 
fact that the vices of the white man, his rapacity, deceit, and 



SHEK0MEK0. 51 

cruelty, have exiled the reel man from his country, from his 
native soil and heritage, and, irrespective of good or evil 
on his part, have nearly supplanted him from the face of 
the earth. 

From the execution of the act of the colonial Government 
before referred to, it became impossible, of course, for the 
Moravians to continue their labors among the heathen 
within the province of New York. And its effects were 
most disastrous upon the missions in Connecticut, and 
caused their final abandonment, for fields where the devoted 
missionaries might enjoy the freedom of religious liberty, 
and the opportunity to carry on their self-denying labors, 
without the restraint of penal laws, and without the petty 
annoyance of a government nominally free, but in this case, 
at least, practically tyrannical and unjust. 

The hostility to Jesuit influence which so strongly ap- 
pears in this history of the Moravians at Shekomeko, was 
in itself better founded, had its direction been intelligent, 
and uninfluenced by those who cared less for the Jesuits 
than to serve their own private purposes and ends. The 
Jesuits were forever plotting against the Government, and 
exciting the animosity of the Indians against the English 
colonies. The old French war was itself the work of the 
Jesuits. And the Indian hordes themselves, which gave so 
terrible an aspect to that war, were generally led on by 
Romish Jesuits disguised in the garb of Indians. And to 
them was mainly due the terrible ferocity by which that 
war was so strikingly characterized. 

The colonial Government, as well as that of the mother 
country, had for a long time been aware of this fact. And 
hence, by the provincial laws, not only a known Jesuit, but 
any man suspected of being a Jesuit, was put upon his trial, 
and, if convicted, was banished from the colony of New 



52 SHEKOMEKO. 

York on pain of perpetual imprisonment, and, in case of 
escape from prison, of death. 

To such as are not familiar with the infamous political 
intrigues and wholesale treachery of the minions of Rome, 
and especially of the order of Jesuits, so stringent a law 
may seem too severe, and may seem to partake of a perse- 
cuting character. But it must be observed that it was 
aimed at them, not as members of a Christian society as 
such, but as necessarily by the principles which they had 
adopted and the oaths by which they were bound, traitors 
and spies in the country, whose leading purpose was the 
subversion of every Protestant government, and the bringing 
in of the dominant power of Rome. And, as opportunity 
offered, the vile spirit of these malignant principles and 
oaths, have always been carried out in practice in every 
treacherous and treasonable form, even to the extent of 
overthrowing governments, and of deposing kings, and de- 
claring their subjects absolved from their allegiance, thereby 
inculcating as a sacred duty, upon all members of the 
Church of Rome, wholesale treason, murder, and rebellion. 

Thus, in England, to say nothing of the other governments 
of Europe, King John in 1210, King Henry VIII. in 1538, 
Queen Elizabeth in 1569, Charles I. in 1643, and, finally, 
George II. in 1729, about fifteen years previous to the ex- 
pulsion of the Moravians from Shekomeko, were anathe- 
matized and deposed, and their subjects declared absolved 
from their allegiance by the Popes of Rome. 1 

And it is matter of authentic history, that in the troublous 
times of Charles I. and Queen Elizabeth, many of the most 
turbulent and disorganizing of the Puritan preachers were 
Jesuits in disguise, and in the pay of the Pope. 

The law, then, against the Jesuits was at least justifiable, 

1 Church Review, vol. v., No. 4, Art. III. 



SHEK0MEK0. 53 

if not expedient, and demanded by the necessity of the case. 
The great misfortune was that it should have been used for 
a purpose for which it was not intended, or to gratify the 
malice or allay the fears of those who would at all events 
drive the harmless Moravians from the country, without 
regard to the purity of their purpose, or the righteousness 
of their cause; and the greater misfortune still that it should 
have led to the passage of another law against the Moravians 
by name, of the most odious, unjust, and persecuting cha- 
racter. 



MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK AND CONNECTICUT. 



VISIT OF THE COMMITTEE. 

The foregoing valuable contribution to the historical 
recollections of the early Indian Mission of the Moravian 
Church in this country, was received by its members with 
peculiar welcome. It appeared at a time when a spirit of 
inquiry in that direction was generally prevalent, when men 
and incidents of the past were being made the subject of 
research, and information sought for, that, at a later day, 
might be inaccessible, or might have perished with those 
who alone were its repositories. 

The contents of the " Shekomeko" pamphlet were, fur- 
thermore, of so satisfactory a nature as to suggest the pro- 
priety of visiting the scenes to which they refer. The wish 
to do so was entertained by a number of persons. It was 
thought that, with the aid of records and documents known 
to exist in the archives of the Church at Bethlehem, Mr. 
Davis's discoveries might be confirmed, new clues obtained, 
and the identity of the old stations established beyond a 
doubt. 

No one w T as more interested in such a result than Mr. 
John Jordan, Jr., of Philadelphia, who at once proposed to 
conduct a party of exploration to the places in question, 
at some early day — and the 13th of June was designated. 
In the mean time, the necessary preliminary arrangements 
were made, and the co-operation of Mr. Benson J. Lossing, 
of Poughkeepsie, and that of the Rev. Sheldon Davis, of 
Pleasant Valley, were promptly offered. With Mr. and 



MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK AND CONNECTICUT. 55 

Mrs. Jordan there were also associated Mr. Townsend 
Ward, Librarian of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 
Messrs. John A. McAllister and George F. Bensell, of 
Philadelphia, and the writer of these pages — all members 
of the Moravian Historical Society. 

An account of the result of this visit appeared in The 
Moravian of July 21st and 28th, from which the following 
is an extract : — 

"On Monday, the 13th of June," continues the writer, 
"four of our party left Bethlehem in the early train for 
New York. There we were joined by the remaining Phi- 
ladelphians — one of them an artist, who had been engaged 
to take sketches of the localities we designed visiting. At 
3 P. M., we went on board the North River steamer ' Thomas 
Powell,' and here made the acquaintance of Mr. Benson J. 
Lossing, the w T ell-known author of The Field Book of the 
Revolution, and a contributor to several of the popular 
journals of the day. Mr. Lossing had been apprised of our 
project, and, it being congenial to his own tastes, had re- 
solved on joining the party, at the same time offering the 
hospitalities of his home at Poughkeepsie. 

" The weather was rather unfavorable to have us enjoy 
the river scenery, for the sky was overcast, and threatened 
rain ; yet, with such an admirable guide as Mr. Lossing, to 
w T hom every point was familiar, the river was invested with 
more than ordinary interest. Arrived at Poughkeepsie, we 
were received by Mr. Lossing's household with a warm 
welcome. The kindness we experienced at the hands of 
this excellent family during our short sojourn in the city, 
and the pleasure we subsequently derived from their com- 
pany on our excursion, I cannot refrain from adverting to." 

Here we were greeted by the first tokens from the long 
since dead. In Mr. Lossing's library we were shown the 
remaining fragment of Gottlob Biittner's tombstone — a 



56 MOEAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

heavy mass of gray carbonate of lime ; on one side of which 
stands the following inscription, in the thin Latin characters, 
that are met with in the print of the last century : — 

OTTES AM 

iden die b 

3 ihre Sun 

Blut Jesu ver 

elches sie auch 

und sich in d 

Herrn Tauf 

letztes F 

It was a venerable object this time-worn memento of the 
past ! Though silent, it spoke forcibly of the transitoriness 
of human things — not only of the end of all honor and 
glory, but also of the end of all tribulation and suffering. 

Four years ago this relic came into the possession of the 
Poughkeepsie Lyceum — having been purchased by one 
who had been travelling in Duchess County, and collect- 
ing Indian curiosities with a view to form a museum. 
Its history and the import of the inscription were generally 
unknown — though Mr. Davis was almost confident that it 
was the gravestone of the Moravian missionary. Some 
deemed it a monument to an Indian chief. No one could 
interpret the fragmentary epitaph in an unknown language. 
It was, therefore, extremely gratifying to those who had so 
often read the mysterious characters, to have them com- 
pared with the following original draft, in the German, 
designed at Bethlehem, in 1745, for the gravestone of the 
departed Biittner : — 



AND CONNECTICUT. 0i 

HlER RUHET 

GOTTLOB BTJTTNER, 

DER NACH DEM BEFEHL SEINES 
GOTTES AM IvREUZ, 

DEN Heiden die Botschaft BRACIITE, 

DAS HIRE StJNDEN DURCH DAS 

Blut Jesu VERSOHNT SIND, 

WELCHES SIE AUCH ANGENOMMEN 

TJND SICH IN DEN TOD DES 
llERRN HABEN TAUFEN LASSEN. 

Sein leztes Flehen war, 

das SIE Alle mochten behalten werden, 

bis auf den Tag Jesu Chris^ti. 

Er war geboren den xxixsten 

December MDCCXVI, (v. s.) 

DND ENTSCHLIEF, IM HERRN, 

am xxmsten Eebruar MDCCXLV. (v. s.) 

Mr. Lossing promised to exert his influence to have the 
stone transferred to the Moravian Historical Society. 

On Tuesday evening, we made the acquaintance of the 
Rev. Sheldon Davis and his wife, who reside at Pleasant 
Valley, seven miles northeast of Poughkeepsie. Mr. Davis 
had been apprised of our arrival, and, as he had offered to 
act as guide in our tour of exploration, had come to Mr. 
Lossing's, to decide on the course of the route, and com- 
plete the necessary arrangements. 

On Wednesday morning, we accordingly set out for the 
site of old Shekomeko. Several conveyances had been pro- 
vided—as our party had been joined by Mr. and Mrs. 
Lossing and Miss Fanny Sweet, his sister-in-law, and his 
daughter, Miss Cora Lossing. The weather was fair over- 
head, but promised a warm summer's day. Leaving the 
eastern limits of the city by the Duchess turnpike and 
crossing Wappinger's Creek, we soon reached Pleasant Val- 
ley, where we were joined by Mr. and Mrs. Davis in his 
own carriage. Passing next through a rich agricultural 



58 MOEAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

and grazing region, at this season of the year in the full 
freshness of verdure, along avenues of maples, and by clusters 
of graceful elms in meadows blooming with buttercups and 
daisies, we left the main road, to see the noble cattle at 
Thorndale, the seat of Mr. Jonathan Thorne, of New York. 
At noon, we drew up at Mabbettsville, a small collection 
of houses, with tavern, store, and blacksmith-shop, the ordi- 
nary nucleus of an incipient village. This is the Filkintown 
of the historian Loskiel, so called from the Filkins, early 
settlers in the neighborhood. It lies in a pretty valley, sur- 
rounded by gently rising hills, eighteen miles from Pough- 
keepsie. The day had grown excessively warm, and there 
were indications of a shower. We had twelve miles to 
make before reaching the terminus of our journey, and that 
through a hilly country over the highest cultivated lands in 
Duchess County, which repeatedly afforded imposing views 
of the Catskill, beyond the Hudson, and the Taghkanic 
Mountain, in Massachusetts. Four miles from Shekomeko, 
at Thompson's Pond (Huns Lake), one of our horses 
dropped down dead from the intense heat, and although 
this loss occasioned delay and inconvenience, it afforded 
several of our party, who were compelled to proceed on 
foot, an opportunity of enjoying the beauties of the Stissing 
Valley, into which we were just entering. A sudden bend 
in the road afforded a charming prospect. Before us, from 
north to south for six miles, stretched the back of old Stiss- 
ing — an isolated granite mountain, with sides and rugged 
ridge, covered with forest as thick as when the Mohegan, 
one hundred years ago, roamed through its solitudes to 
rouse the bear, or chase the bounding moose. Eastward, 
along its foot to the farthest limits of the landscape, lay 
luxuriant meadows with not a tree to vary the tapestry of 
green that was sparkling with the recently fallen rain- 
drops; — and over this picture deep silence brooded — no 



AND CONNECTICUT. 59 

signs of life, no cattle, no birds, not a moving clone! were 
there ; the very school-boys, jnst freed from the restraint 
of the school-house by the side of the road, were lying in 
groups on a knoll, and quietly looking up that tranquil 
valley, as though they had been imbued with the spirit of 
its Sabbath stillness. 

At four P. M. we all met at Mr. Edward Hunting's, in 
the township of Pine Plains, on whose lands is the site of 
Biittner's grave and of the Indian village of Shekomeko. 
Here we were received most cordially, as well by the pro- 
prietor's family (consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Hunting, his 
two daughters, and his brother, Mr. Samuel Hunting), as by 
a number of neighbors and friends, who had been advised of 
our intended visit. Among the latter were the Rev. Frede- 
rick Sill, an Episcopal clergyman from Lower Red Hook, 
Mr. Samuel Deuel, and Mr. Theron Wilber. Mr. Hunting's 
homestead is a good specimen of the New England style of 
farm-house, a low white frame building set back from the 
road, with door-yard planted with balsams and mountain- 
ash, and a row of sugar maples along the fence. It lies on 
the hill-side which slopes down to the valley of the Sheko- 
meko Kill. 

Having partaken of a well-served dinner, our party, which 
had by this time increased to twenty, set out for Biittner's 
grave. Passing through a lane in a southwesterly direction, 
we entered a pasture on rising ground, and in a few minutes 
were gathered around the spot where repose the remains 
of the young and lamented missionary. A slight depression 
in the soil, and the protruding edge of the remaining por- 
tion of the heavy limestone, are all that mark the place. 
We read the account of his sufferings and death from Los- 
kiel, and wondered that one so fearless and devoted should 
have lain here so long uncared for, the mound that was 



60 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

raised over him levelled with the sod around, and his rest- 
ing-place forgotten. 

The rediscovery of Biittner's grave is due to Mr. 
Davis's indefatigable industry in following up the traces of 
early Moravian labor in Duchess County. In 1854 this 
gentleman interested Mr. Hunting in the search for the 
spot. There was but one person living from whom any 
reliable information could be obtained in reference to it — 
Mr. Josiah Winans, a descendant of a former proprietor of 
the farm. He had worked on it near the close of the last 
century, and it was said he could without doubt determine 
the precise locality of the grave. On being brought to the 
field, Mr. Winans drove a stake into the ground, declaring 
that the remains of Biittner were buried within a rod of 
the same, adding that the first large stone the plough would 
strike, would prove a fragment of the old gravestone. His 
assertion was soon verified ; for the plough had cut but a 
few furrows, when the share caught in and turned up the 
slab that lay a few inches below the surface. It was allowed 
to remain on the spot, and is all that marks the site of the 
grave. Since its rediscovery, Mr. Hunting has kept the 
ground sacred; and, on the present occasion, expressed a 
wish that some memorial might be erected to secure it 
inviolate for the future, and to keep in remembrance the 
resting-place of a good man in a land of strangers. 

Of the earlier condition and fortunes of the grave, we 
ascertained the following facts : During the proprietorship 
of James Winans, between 1762 and 1797, an attempt 
was made to remove the stone, which, standing upright in 
the middle of a field, proved an obstacle to its cultivation. 
A yoke of oxen and three horses were, however, unable to 
draw the large and heavy slab from the ground. It was 
allowed to stand. About 1806 some thoughtless boys who 
attended the district school-house, as they passed to and fro, 



AND CONNECTICUT. 61 

were wont to gather about the grave of the unknown man, 
and succeeded in gradually demolishing the memorial. It is 
said that one of the number, who protested against the sacri- 
legious act on the part of his comrades, is the sole survivor 
of the party. Shortly after this, the grave was searched 
for treasure ; tradition saying that an Indian warrior lay 
buried there, with a rifle of costly workmanship. But there 
was nothing found except a skull and bones, and portions 
of pine boards — the remains of the missionary and of the 
narrow house in which he had been consigned to the earth. 
The fragments of the stone were replaced, but they gradu- 
ally were scattered, and the plough and harrow finished the 
work of destruction. Soon after Mr. Hunting came into 
possession of the farm, in 1829, he found part of the grave- 
stone built up in a stone wall. It was removed within 
doors, became an object of curiosity to visitors, and eventu- 
ally passed into the possession of the Poughkeepsie Lyceum. 
Our next object was to determine the site of the old 
Indian village. We were shown, a quarter of a mile to 
the southeast of the grave, what were deemed relics of the 
settlement, an old apple-tree, a pile of stones, said to have 
been the foundation of a " sweat-house," and a basin in the 
brook that comes down the hill-side, where the Moravian 
preacher used to dip the Indian children ill with small- 
pox; but these traditions we found difficult to reconcile 
with a sketch of Shekomeko as it was in 1745, which we 
had brought along to aid us in our researches. There was 
strong disagreement between tradition and historv. To the 
latter we resolved to keep, and accordingly set out on a 
tour of reconnoissance, fully confident that the missionary's 
pen-and-ink sketch would form an infallible guide to the 
missionary's converts' homes. As we advanced, we com- 
pared the picture with the original. We ascended a hill on 
the east, but found ourselves mistaken in the position. To 



62 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

our right there was but one point from which the drawing- 
could have been taken, and that was a well-wooded moun- 
tain, promising a difficult ascent. Four of our party, in- 
cluding Mr. Davis, set out to make it. Mrs. Lossing, too, 
inspired with the excitement of the search, ventured to join 
the number; nor was she second to any in resolution of 
purpose to surmount all obstacles. Having passed through 
the meadow where the brethren, white and Indian, had their 
separate planting-grounds, we began the ascent. Pushing 
aside the brush, and treading under foot the flora of medi- 
cinal herbs that sprang in exuberance from the rich black 
mould, we forced our way upward in the dark shade of 
trees, through whose boughs solitary sunbeams struggled to 
strike upon the humid ground below. The white birch we 
found an inhabitant of these woods ; but the red man, who 
had wrought its pliant bark into the light canoe, was gone, 
and we found nought to call him to mind but a single moc- 
casin that bloomed in solitary beauty on the soil that had 
often been pressed by the buckskinned foot of the Indian 
hunter. Arrived at the summit, we found ourselves on 
commanding ground, and soon determined the outline and 
detail of the sketch, for we stood on the spot from which it 
had been taken. Below us, at a mile's distance, was the 
pasture with Biittner's grave; behind it rose the hills of 
the middle ground, and along the margin of the horizon, 
eastward, stretched the ethereal forms of the blue Tagh- 
kanic. 

It was with no little satisfaction that we returned to our 
party, enabled as we now were to fix the site of the village. 
A ploughed field, that slopes southward of Biittner's grave 
to the meadow, embraces its limits. Perhaps eighteen feet 
intervene between where the missionary lies, and where 
the Indian huts were ranged in a crescent around the little 
bark-covered church. Our artist took his first sketch from 



AND CONNECTICUT. 



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61 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

the meadow, looking westward. The setting sun had just 
for the last time painted with purple and gold a cloud that 
rested on Stissing; the lengthening shadows fast blend- 
ing into the shades of evening, had warned the plough-boy 
in the adjoining field to unyoke his steers; and stillness 
touched the rural landscape with inexpressible beauty as 
we bade farewell to scenes that are consecrated to the me- 
mory of self-denying labors of Christian love. Here had 
lived Kauch, Biittner, and Mack, perilling their lives for the 
souls of degenerate heathen, and accomplishing triumphs, 
which, though unknown to the world, are recorded in the 
book of God's eternal remembrance. 

When we reached Mr. Hunting's, we found the rest of 
the party about leaving for Mr. Theron Wilber's, by whom 
arrangements had been kindly made to have us spend the 
night. We were accompanied by Mr. Hunting, the Rev. 
Mr. Sill, and several of the neighbors, whose interest in our 
mission had evidently increased. A short ride brought us 
to Mr. Wilber's seat, at the north end of a beautiful sheet 
of water (Buttermilk Pond, now called Halcyon Lake) — 
one of those numerous lakes which are a characteristic geo- 
logical formation of this section of New York. A party of 
our host's friends (including Drs. Guernsey and Smith, Mr. 
Peck, and several ladies) from the village of Pine Plains, 
two miles above, had been invited to meet us, and their 
agreeable society added largely to the pleasures of the even- 
ing. The gathering at " Halcyon Hall" has altogether left 
a most pleasing impression. After a sumptuous tea, the 
honors of which Mr. Wilber did in person, the time was 
diversified by strolling in the green lawn, boating, and 
conversation on the broad piazza, that overlooks the lovely 
picture. The brilliant lights within the hall, and the moon 
overhead silvering the bosom of the placid lake, whose 
repose was disturbed only by the distant stroke of the oar, 



AND CONNECTICUT. 65 

and the cry of the whippoorwill from the side of Stissing, 
that lay in deep shadow in the west, was a scene altogether 
of fairy characters. We were unconsciously carried back 
to the days of Biittner, for hither he and his Indians were 
wont to come to shoot the duck and spear the pickerel. It 
was a late hour when the company separated, for all were 
loath to shorten the delights of the lovely summer's night. 

Having bid adieu to our courteous host on Thursday 
morning, we returned past Mr. Hunting's, crossed the She- 
komeko Kill, and a mile beyond drew up according to 
appointment at Mr. Samuel Deuel's for breakfast. On our 
way we had a full view of the Shekomeko Mountain, which 
lies parallel with Stissing (three miles intervening between 
the two), and is its exact counterpart in miniature. From 
this hill the creek receives its name, Shekomeko, according 
to tradition signifying "the little mountain." Stissing has 
the name borne by an Indian, who once lived in the gap 
which forms a transit over the mountain, two miles from 
its northern extremity. 

At Mr. Deuel's we took leave of Mr. Sill and his wife. 
After an excellent breakfast and many kind attentions, at 
9 o'clock A. M. we set out for Indian Pond, ten miles 
further to the east, the site of the Wechquaclnach (properly 
Pachquadnach) station, where lie the remains of the mis- 
sionary David Bruce. Our road lay over an extremely 
rough country. From the summit of Winchell Mountain 
we again had a commanding prospect. Extending along 
the western line of the horizon were the Shawangunk and 
Katskill Mountains, and on the eastern the Taghkanic. 

At noon we arrived at the farm of Mr. Douglas Clarke, 
in North East Centre, where we were hospitably entertained, 
and where one of the party, who was indisposed, experi- 
enced much kindness. After dinner, Mr. Clarke, a venera- 
ble man of eighty-three, and his son, Col. Hiram Clarke, 



QQ MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

led the way to the spot where the mission house stood, and 
where lie the remains of Brother Joseph Powell. The site 
of Powell's grave is marked by a ledge of slate rock on high 
ground in a pasture, perhaps a quarter of a mile south of 
the farm-house. The tombstone was removed by Mr. 
Clarke some years ago to insure its preservation, and with 
several others stands against the stone wall in an adjoining 
orchard. It is a headstone of dark slate, and stood erect 
in the ground, contrary to Moravian usage, which fact, as 
well as the inscription, "The Rev. Joseph Powell, died 1744, 
ae. 63," would seem to intimate that it was a tribute at the 
hands of the settlers to the memory of their home mis- 
sionary. 

The circumstances that brought Brother Powell into this 
neighborhood, long after the abandonment of the Indian 
mission, were as follows: On the death of Bruce in 1749, 
the whites about Wechquadnach expressed a wish to 
have a Moravian brother minister to them in spiritual 
things. To this Brother Christian Froehlich alludes in a 
report written from Pachgatgoch in 1752, in which he 
says: "Our Br. Bruce was much beloved by both whites 
and Indians, who deplore his early loss. The former desire 
a brother to preach them the Gospel, and have permitted 
me to put a stone on Br. David's grave, and then inclose it 
with a fence." In May of the same year a letter was sent 
to Bethlehem reiterating the request, and met with a 
response; for in July of 1753, Brother Abraham Reinke 
was despatched on a visitation. In his report he states 
that during his sojourn of eight weeks he preached twenty 
times, to large audiences, sometimes numbering three hun- 
dred souls. His appointments were at Salisbury and Sha- 
ron, Conn., and in the " Oblong," in " Nine Partners," and 
at Livingston's Manor, in Duchess County. N. Y. 

The Oblong (which name is still retained) he describes 



AND CONNECTICUT. 67 

as " a tract of land seventy to eighty miles in length, by 
two in breadth, on the confines of Connecticut, by which it 
had been transferred to New York in exchange for other 
lands. The settlers had come over from Connecticut five 
years ago, in expectation of bettering their fortunes by the 
purchase of cheap farms, and for the enjoyment of religious 
liberty." A second letter, subscribed by thirty-four of his 
stated hearers, and addressed " to the United Brethren at 
Bethlehem," was given to Brother Reinke on his return. 1 
He was succeeded by other brethren, and thus this vicinity 
was recognized as a home mission field, in which Powell 
was one of the last to labor. 

Of the Wechquadnach mission house there is no trace ; 
old Mr. Clarke, however, pointed to where it had stood 
within his recollection. Tradition has preserved nothing 
of the site of the Indian village. As our missionaries, in 

1 The following is a copy of the letter, preserved in the Bethlehem 
archives : — 

" To the Church of the United Brethren at Bethlehem : — 

" We cannot but return our hearty thanks, not only for your kind an- 
swer to our letter dated May, 1T52, but more especially for the favor of 
sending us a minister to preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who 
has been with us for two months ; and since he is now returning home, and 
you desire to know our minds in this affair, this is to let you know that we 
are exceedingly well satisfied, and think ourselves much benefited, as well 
by the gospel sermons of Mr. Reinke, as also by the conversation we had 
with him, being thereby confirmed in the choice we have made of one of 
the United Brethren to be our minister. And now our sincere desire is to 
have the Gospel of Jesus Christ continued among us, for we believe it is 
the power of God to salvation to all them that believe. If we, therefore, 
could have either Mr. Reinke again, if it could be, or, if not, some one else 
of the United Brethren to settle among us, we should look upon it as a 
very great favor. We don't doubt it will prove a blessing not only to us 
but also to many of our neighbors. We are in general in low circum- 
stances in the world, but, however, we hope to be able to support the min- 
ister that comes in a comfortable manner. And since we believe your aim 



68 M0EAV1ANS IN NEW YORK 

writing of Wechquadnach, never distinctly allude to one, 
there is room for the presumption that the dwellings of the 
Indians were scattered along the western shore of the lake, 
inasmuch as the nature of the ground is such as would have 
led them to select it for planting purposes. 

Leaving these faint memorials, on descending the hill, 
there lay at our feet " Indian Pond," a fine sheet of water 
full a mile in length. Our missionaries call it "Gnaden- 
See" (Lake of Grace). It lies partly in the Oblong, and 
partly in Sharon Township, Litchfield County, Connecticut. 
Across this beautiful lake the Indian brethren conveyed the 
remains of their beloved teacher to the Connecticut side for 
interment in their own burial place. 

Bruce's labors among the Indians of Wechquadnach and 
Pachgatgoch were short. In January, 1749, he commenced 
them, and as early as July he had entered into the joy of 
his Lord. 1 

is to gain souls for Christ, we don't scruple but you will take our case into 

consideration, we being destitute of a minister and school, and grant us 

our request. 

Signed : — 

AZARIAH SMITH, CALEB WOODWORTH, 

STEPHEN HIGBEE, GERSHOM WOODWORTH, 

DAVID PHELPS, WILLIAM ENOS, 

JAMES PARKE, ANDREW MOREHOUSE, 

ELISHA COLVER, JONATHAN PHELPS, 

TIMOTHY EDWARDS, PHINEAS HOLCOMB, 

JAMES ALLWORTH, JOHN HARRIS, 

MARTIN WINCHELL, ZEPHANIAH HARVEY, 

ROBERT WINCHELL, DERRICK JOHNSON, 

BENJAMIN BRUCE, JOHN WOODCOCK, 

DANIEL HIGBEE, JEDEDIAH MORE, 

JONATHAN RONALS, EDMOND EDMONDS, 

GIDEON MOORE, JOSEPH PARKE, 

ASHBEL MOORE, EBENEZER HURLBUT, 

GEORGE RICHMOND, JONATHAN MOORE, 

PETER CASWELL, SIMON MOORE, 

STEPHEN CASWELL, ZEBULON MOSES. 

1 The diary of the Bethlehem congregation for 1749 gives the following 
in relation to his death: "July 13th. Toward evening the two Indian 



AND CONNECTICUT. 69 

We followed the same path on the north side of the 
pond as the mourners had done when accompanying his 
remains to their last home. Half an hour's walk along the 
foot of Indian Mountain brought us to the farm of Mr. 
Andrew Lake, in Sharon Township. Here we were met by 
his son, Mr. Lake, Gen. Charles F. Sedgwick, and Mr. 
Richard Smith, of Sharon village. Mr. Lake, who is now 
eighty years of age, pointed out the site of Bruce's grave, 
in the meadow where we met, a few rods from the edge of 

brethren, Samuel and Gottlob, arrived from Pachgatgoch with the intelli- 
gence that Br. Bruce had been lying seriously indisposed in the mission 
house at Wechquaduach already for a week. It was deemed advisable to 
have a brother visit him, and accordingly Br. Post was despatched with- 
out delay. 

" July 22c?. At noon Moses's son came from Wechquaduach with letters 
from Br. Post, stating that on his arrival Br. Bruce was no more, having 
departed on the 9th inst, a short time after Samuel and Gottlob had left 
for Bethlehem. On the 6th inst., after his return from Westenhuc, or 
Wannaquatiksk, writes Br. Post, our brother was taken ill, and although 
he suffered much pain, was in a happy frame of mind. Shortly before his 
release, a neighbor called to see him, and on asking him how he did, Bruce 
replied, not well ! 'But you are prepared to go into the heavenly father- 
land,' added the other. ' Yes !' he answered, ' I shall soon see my Saviour.' 
Our Indian brethren, Moses and Joshua, were his constant attendants 
during his illness. A short time before his end, taking their hands into 
his own, he pressed them to his heart, and entreated them to hold fast to 
the Saviour. Some English neighbors assisted our Indians in making 
preparations for interring his remains. The former, to whom he had 
endeared himself, procured linen, and the body was laid out in white. The 
funeral service was attended by many friends. Joshua, son of Gideon of 
Pachgatgoch, delivered a discourse in Indian, reminding his hearers of all 
that their teacher had told them of the Saviour's love, and many were the 
tears that moistened the dark cheek of that mourning and bereft assembly. 
The body was then put on two canoes, and carried over ' Gnaden See,' the 
brethren and friends taking their way along the bank to the place of burial, 
amidst the singing of hymn tunes. At the grave Br. Gideon offered a 
prayer, and thus was buried the first of our number among the hills and 
valleys of New England." 
6 



70 MOEAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

the pond. As at Pachgatgoch (as we ascertained later), so 
here the Indians buried their dead on low ground; whether 
these were exceptional instances, or whether it was a custom, 
is a question of interest yet to be decided. Mr. Lake stated 
that he had been brought up at the outlet of the pond, that 
when a boy he had gone to school in the old mission house 
at the "Powell Place," and that he had a distinct recollec- 
tion of Bruce's grave, and the stone standing at its head. 
"When the farm was held by Mr. Moses Clark (from whom 
it passed into the hands of Mr. Lyman Bradley, Mr. Lake's 
predecessor), the grave, long neglected, had been ploughed 
with the rest of the field. About fifteen years ago, Mr. 
Lake found the fragment of the headstone built up in a 
stone wall. It was shown to us at the house. It is of dark 
slate, and contains the following parts of the original in- 
scription : — 

Br 
nburgh in 

d, Minister of the 

ethrens' Church 
g the Indians 

PARTED 1749. 

The epitaph, as given by Loskiel, reads thus: "David 
Bruce, from Edinburgh, in Scotland, a Minister of the 
Brethrens' Church among the Indians, departed 1749." 

While cultivating the meadow, from time to time indi- 
cations of other graves, besides that of the missionary, have 
been observed. Mr. Lake intimated the pleasure it would 
afford him to co-operate with any that might wish to erect 
a memorial on the spot. A few yards west of the grave is 
a narrow slate ridge, twenty feet high, which has never 
been cut by the share. This elevation he suggested as a 
suitable point. It overlooks the pond, affords a view of the 
mission lands on the northwest shore, and to the south dis- 



AND CONNECTICUT. 71 

closes the bold hills of Pachgatgoch. Hither Brace's and 
Powell's remains might be transferred, and what fitter rest- 
ing-place than this, which so beautifully looks down upon 
the scenes of their former labors'? 

At 5 P. M. we left Mr. Lake's farm-house, accompanied 
by Messrs. Sedgewick and Smith as far as the village of 
Sharon, three miles to the southeast. Sharon is a pretty 
New England village, with white frame houses set back 
from the wide grass-grown streets, almost buried in maples 
and elms, the favorite shade trees of this country. On 
making a turn in the road, we saw it high above us on a 
hill-top, the rays of the declining sun lighting up spire and 
churchyard, the marble tombstones glittering like mounds 
of driven snow. We had yet fourteen miles to accomplish 
to our journey's end, but the drive was exceedingly plea- 
sant, through a diversified country, and on a lovely sum- 
mer's evening. 

It was dark when we reached the village of Kent, the 
terminus of the day's varied scenes and incidents. It lies 
on the Housatonic Railroad, fifty miles north of Bridge- 
port. At the "Railroad House" we had excellent accom- 
modations, and likewise a friendly disposition on the part of 
our landlord and of the residents of the place to give us all 
possible information relative to the old station at Pachgat- 
goch. Our thanks are especially clue to Messrs. John 
Spooner, John Raymond, Alden Swift, Rufus Fuller, and 
Dr. Beardsley, most of whom are advanced in years, and 
repositories of history and tradition that proved highly 
interesting. 

On Friday morning our party set out for the last time in 
company, to visit the Pachgatgoch place, two miles to the 
southwest of Kent. 

Pachgatgoch (properly Pishgachtigok), along with Wech- 
quadnach, were Indian settlements, visited by Rauch as 



72 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

early as 1742. Intercourse between these places and She- 
komeko led to stated visitations on the part of the mission- 
aries, and finally to their occupation. In January of 1743, 
Brother Martin Mack and his wife took up their abode at 
Pishgachtigok. The Brethren Froehlich, Bueninger (Binin- 
ger), and Senseman, likewise labored in this field. In 1764 
Pishgachtigok had not yet been deserted. Wechquadnach 
was abandoned in July of 1753. Other Indian settlements 
in this neighborhood, where the Gospel was preached by 
Moravian missionaries, were Westenhuc and Wehtak. The 
former, in all probability, lay on the site of the present vil- 
lage of Housatonic, north of Great Barrington, in Massa- 
chusetts, the name, "Westenhuc," being merely a modifi- 
cation of Hoosatenuc, whence the modern Housatonic. 
Wehtak, or Wyatiack, would seem to have been near 
Salisbury, in Litchfield County, Conn. Potatik, according 
to Mr. Davis, lay on the east side of the Housatonic, 
opposite the mouth of the Poughtatuck Creek, and about 
three miles northeast of Newtown, Conn. The locality 
still bears the name, and the old Indian burying ground is 
still pointed out. In heavy freshets bones are frequently 
washed out by the river. The Indians who dwelt in these 
villages were lingering remnants of several New England 
tribes, such as Narragansets, Pequods, and Wampanoags; 
the latter excelled in numbers. 

Of the history of the Pishgachtigok Indians we are 
indebted for the following account to several of the gentle- 
men we met at Kent village. After the treacherous death 
of King Philip, the English colonists, bent on the extermi- 
nation of his faithful adherents, waged a relentless war. 
A body of Connecticut troops drove a part of his men into 
New York, and only desisted from the pursuit when the 
Indians had buried themselves in the thickets of an island 
in the morasses of Swamp River. Here the fugitives 



AND CONNECTICUT. 73 

resolved to build their new homes, although they sighed 
for the liberty of the boundless forest. Cautiously at first 
they would leave their retreat to hunt the deer on the 
neighboring hills. One day, in pursuit of a buck, they were 
carried by the excitement of the chase beyond their accus- 
tomed range, and when evening set in, they found them- 
selves on the summit of a well-wooded mountain, and look- 
ing down, they saw rich corn lands below, washed by the 
waters of a lovely stream. Here were homes for them. 
The river they called Hoosatenuc, for they had come " over 
the mountain," and the corn lands "Pishgachtigok," for they 
lay on " the confluence of two streams." This migration is 
referred to the early part of the last century. The rights 
of the new comers were henceforth recognized by the Eng- 
lish, and a superintendent appointed to administer their 
affairs. Mr. Swift's grandfather, an emigrant from Cape 
Cod, filled the office about the time our missionaries arrived. 

The descendants of these " King Philip's men " are still 
in possession of a tract of three or four hundred acres of 
mountain woodland, and from the sales of a part of the ori- 
ginal tract have the benefit of an income arising from a 
fund of five thousand dollars. They are called the Schagh- 
ticoke Indians, the word an evident corruption of Pishgach- 
tigok. Of the fifty survivors, there are but three or four in 
whose veins flows the uncontaminated blood of the Pequods. 
An overseer is appointed by the Superior Court of the 
County, to apply the proceeds of the fund towards their 
subsistence, which would otherwise be but precarious, cul- 
tivating as they do only a few acres of corn and beans, and 
depending largely on the fisheries in the river. Mr. Rufus 
Fuller is the present Superintendent of the "Indian Re- 
serve" at Pachgatgoch. 

Driving along the west bank of the Housatonic, we soon 
reached the " Reserve." The valley here is very narrow, 



7-1 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

flanked on the right by the Pachgatgoch mountain. At in- 
tervals along the road, on the hill-side, we passed the dwell- 
ings of the Indians, small log or frame houses, surrounded 
by little patches of cultivated ground. At the second of 
these we drew up. It was the house of Eunice Mahwee 
(Aunt Eunice is her familiar name), the oldest relic of her 
tribe, and a monument of bygone days ; for when the Revo- 
lutionary War broke out Eunice was an Indian maiden of 
fifteen summers. To our party she was an object of pecu- 
liar interest, for in her we saw the grandchild of the good 
Gideon Mahweesman, the first convert to the Gospel at 
Pachgatgoch, who received baptism at the hands of Martin 
Mack on the 13th of February, 1743. On entering the 
yard we were accosted by her granddaughter, Lavina, an 
intelligent looking woman of forty. Dressed in a faded 
calico gown, with a man's straw hat on her head, poverty 
could not disguise the race whence she had sprung; the 
piercing almond eyes, the aquiline nose, and the nervous 
play of the slender nostrils, all bespoke the Indian. By her 
we were shown into the cottage. The furniture embraced 
only what was indispensable : a few chairs and a table, on 
which latter stood a dish of newly- taken lamprey eels. The 
accounts of the missionaries came vividly to mind as we 
saw these, for they often speak of the absence of their In- 
dians in quest of lamprey and silver eels at the New Millpond 
dam, ten miles below. By the open fireplace, enjoying the 
genial warmth of the blazing twigs, on a rush-bottomed 
chair, sat old Eunice. Age had wrinkled and bleached the 
venerable dame, but her short thick-set form indicated the 
robust constitution that could endure the vicissitudes of a 
century. In the doorway of the adjoining apartment, with 
a babe in her arms, stood Laura, Lavina's daughter, a 
young woman of scarcely twenty, whose raven tresses and 
mild black eyes would have rivalled the beauties of the 



AND CONNECTICUT. /O 

bravest warrior's bride. Here was a picture for the artist, 
and a subject for the poet. Helpless old age and helpless 
infancy side by side ; the limits of five generations of men 
" that fade like forest leaves." Eunice is still in possession 
of her faculties, although age has rendered their action 
sluggish. On being questioned, she seldom failed to give 
an answer, though she needed time for reflection. It was 
interesting to watch the workings of her mind, as inter- 
preted by the expression of her countenance. When at a 
loss she would fix her eyes on the ground, as though to 
draw her attention from external objects, sit a few minutes 
in deep thought, raise her head deliberately, and in mea- 
sured words, that rung with the music of a melodious voice, 
give the response that was to satisfy our inquiries. Of the 
Moravian preachers she had often heard. She told us how 
it was their custom to come, first one, then another, singly, 
stay for a short time, and next they would be accompanied 
by their women. The Presbyterians were no friends of the 
Moravians, she gravely observed. Gideon, her grandfather, 
she had never seen, although she knew he had been an 
exhorter among his people, nor had she ever visited She- 
komeko. Besides imparting other intelligence of this na- 
ture, rather general, it is true, yet satisfactory, she gave us 
the pronunciation and meaning of Indian names of places, 
which in the absence of other authority, we presume may 
be regarded as correct. Shekomeko, as we usually pro- 
nounce the word, she ignored. Accentuated on the ante- 
penult sounded "more Indian" to her ear. The Pachgat- 
goch of our missionaries, as well as the modern Schaghticoke, 
she recognizes as corruptions of Pishgachtigok, signifying 
the " confluence of two streams." Housatonic she spoke 
Hoosatenuc, " over the mountain," with the accent on the 
first syllable. Wechquadnach she refused to accept; instead 
she offered Pachquadnach, which orthography was the first 



76 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

used by our missionaries, as reference to their diaries will 
show. Eunice had known John Konkaput, " the Stock- 
bridge," a pupil at Nazareth Hall some time in 1187, a 
learned man and able physician in his tribe. He had taken 
to drinking, ruined his worldly prospects, and finally fell a 
victim to the vice that is proverbially the Indian's death. 
To some of the party Laura's infant was also an object of 
interest, no less than the great-great-grandmother. " It is 
a sprightly papoose," observed a bachelor gentleman of the 
party, taking it from its mother's arms, and dandling it on 
his knees, while a smile of delight illumined the placid 
countenance of the young mother. On ascertaining that 
the infant was yet unbaptized, it was suggested that it 
receive the name " Helen Lossing," in honor of Mrs. Los- 
sing, and that Mr. Davis, at some early day, perform the 
baptism. Of the religious condition of the modern Schagh- 
ticoke Indians there is not much to say. Mr. Davis has 
perhaps interested himself in their spiritual wants more 
than any one else. Ten years ago Eunice connected her- 
self with the Congregational Church. 

The time was now come to close our interesting inter- 
view, and likewise to part with our travelling companions, 
as we intended taking the noon train for Bridgeport. Bid- 
ding adieu to the Indian household, we accompanied Mr. 
Davis and his wife, and Mr. Lossing's family, to the lower end 
of the settlement, beyond which lay their respective routes. 
It was with unfeigned regret we took leave of these excel- 
lent people, who had generously given their time and valu- 
able services for the benefit of our undertaking, which, 
owing to their labors, had resulted in success we had not 
ventured to anticipate. Not only are they eminently worthy 
of our regards in this respect, but also of our grateful re- 
membrance for the many tokens of friendship and hospi- 
tality received at their hands. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 77 

On our return to Kent village, Dr. Beardsly, who had 
accompanied us to the " Reserve," pointed out the site of 
the Pachgatgoch graveyard, lying in a meadow near the 
bank of the river, on the farm of Mr. John Raymond. This 
was the last memorial we saw of these deserted Indian sta- 
tions. Arrived at Kent we took the train for Bridgeport, 
and reached New York late in the afternoon. On Saturday, 
the 18th of June, the several members of our party left for 
their respective homes, having thus safely and successfully 
accomplished a tour of historical reconnoissance, which was 
agreeably diversified by reminiscences and landmarks of the 
past, and by the social delights of friendly intercourse. 



■78 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY, AND THE DEDICATION 
OF THE MONUMENTS. 

At a meeting of the Moravian Historical Society, held 
on the 11th of July last (1859), in its rooms at the White- 
field House, Nazareth, Penn., the following preamble and 
resolution were adopted, viz.: — 

Whereas, The Society has been informed that several of 
its members have recently visited the sites of Shekomeko, 
in Duchess County, N. Y., and AVechquadnach, in Litch- 
field County, Conn., scenes of the labors of the Brethren 
Biittner, Bruce, and Powell, among the Indians and whites 
during the last century; and, 

Whereas, All traces of the graves of these devoted men, no 
longer marked by stones, will eventually be lost; therefore, 

Resolved, That with a view to cherish the memory of 
good men, and to mark for future generations the scenes 
of their remarkable labors, monuments be erected over the 
grave of Gottlob Biittner, at Shekomeko, and near the 
graves of David Bruce and Joseph Powell, at Wechquad- 
nach ; and that the following members of the Society be 
appointed a committee (with power to add to their number) 
to collect the requisite funds and superintend the erection 
thereof: — 

Committee. — Rev. Sylvester Wolle, Bethlehem, Chairman. 
Rt. Rev. Peter Wolle, " 

Rev. Henry A. Shultz, " 
William C. Reichel, " 

Andrew G. Kern, Nazareth. 
Granville Henry, " 
John Beck, Litiz. 
John Jordan, Jr., Philadelphia. 
Townsend Ward, " 

John A. McAllister, " 

Rev. Sheldon Davis, Pleasant Valley, Duchess Co., N. Y. 
Benson J. Lossing, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 79 

The following gentlemen, having consented to serve on 
the committee, were added to the number, viz.: — 

Rev. Edwin T. Senseman, jNTew York. 

A. Bininger Clark, " 

Rev. Edmund A. de Schweinitz, Philadelphia. 

Rev. Emile A. de Schweinitz, Salem, N. C. 

Edward Hunting, Pine Plains, Duchess County, N. Y. 

TlIERON WlLBER, " ' " 

Andrew Lake, Sr., Sharon, Litchfield Co., Conn. 

The committee intrusted with the development of this 
interesting project met for the first time at the house of the 
Chairman, on the evening of July 22d. Between this date 
and the 23d of September, frequent sessions were held, in 
the deliberations of which members from Philadelphia, also, 
repeatedly participated. With those in Duchess County 
there was necessarily a large exchange of letters, the cor- 
respondence on their part being mainly conducted by the 
Rev. Sheldon Davis and Benson J. Lossing. 

Messrs. Andrew Lake and Edward Hunting, proprietors 
of the lands, respectively, at Wechquadnach and Shekomeko, 
having consented to the erection of monuments, at the same 
time kindly offering such assistance as they could render, 
the committee saw nothing in the way of a successful accom- 
plishment of its work. In order to afford ample time for 
the necessary preparatory arrangements, the dedication of 
the proposed memorials was fixed as late as the season 
would allow, and the 5th and 6th days of October desig- 
nated. 

As to the monuments themselves, they were to be plain 
and substantial. Durability of material rather than orna- 
mental beauty was deemed desirable, and hence a sufficient 
sum was appropriated to have them, when complete and in 
place, landmarks for future times. To avoid the additional 
expense of transportation from any distant point, the com- 



80 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

mission was given to the firm of Miller & Co., at Pough- 
keepsie. Messrs. Davis and Lossing cheerfully undertook 
to select the designed material, to superintend the lettering 
of the inscriptions, and to report the progress of the work. 
Without such local co-operation numerous and irksome in- 
conveniences would inevitably have been incurred. Granite 
was originally selected as the most appropriate material, 
but, in consideration of its greater cost when wrought, it 
was abandoned and marble substituted. 

In a letter, under date of August 5th, Mr. Lossing (to 
whose artistic taste and conception the committee was for- 
tunate to be able to intrust the designing of the monuments) 
states that he had finally contracted for two obelisks, such 
as he thought would meet with the approbation of all con- 
cerned; inclosing, at the same time, a draft of each with 
the following explanation: — 

Shekomeho Stone. 

Pedestal, 29 inches square; 12 inches high; of Connecticut sandstone. 
Weighing TOO lbs. 

Base, 23 inches square; 12 inches high ; with moulding above 2| inches 
high. Weighing 500 lbs. 

Shaft, 18 inches by 15 1 below ; 17 inches by 14^ above ; 4 feet 5 inches 
high. Weighing 1,400 lbs. 

Entire height, 6 feet 6^ inches. Entire weight 2,600 lbs. 

WecJiquadnach Stone. 

Pedestal, 29 inches square; 12 inches high; of Connecticut sandstone. 
Weighing 100 lbs. 

Base, 23 inches square ; 11 inches high; with moulding above 2| inches 
high. Weighing 500 lbs. 

Shaft, 18 inches by 15^ below; 10 inches by 8 above; 6 feet high. 
Weighing 1,400 lbs. 

Entire height, 8 feet 1| inch. Entire weight 2,600 lbs. 

"Monuments of such form and dimensions of the finest 
Italian marble," continues Mr. Lossing, "the stonecutter 



AND CONNECTICUT. 81 

agrees to construct, for $260 00, 1 which sum includes trans- 
portation thirty miles across the country, the desired 
masonry at the Biittner grave, and their erection, and to 
have all completed before the first of October next." 

The following inscriptions were next prepared and for- 
warded to Davis, who, in Mr. Lossing's absence from home 
on an artistic tour to the head waters of the Hudson, super- 
intended the lettering at Poughkeepsie: — 

1. For the Shekomeko stone — 

[North Side.] 

Shekomeko Mission, 
Commenced August 16, 1740, 

BY 

Christian Henry Rauch, 

erected by the 

Moravian Historical Society, 

October 5, 1859. 

[South Side.] 

In memory of 

the Mohican Indians, 

Lazara, 

baptized Dec. 1, 1742. Died Dec. 5, 1742, 

AND 

Daniel, 
baptized Dec. 26, 1742. Died March 20, 1744. 

[West Side.] 

German inscription that covered the original tombstone 
of Biittner. 



1 A further charge of $16 41 cents was incurred for lettering, making 
the entire cost $276 41. 



82 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

[East Side.] A translation of the foregoing. 
Here lies the body 

OF 
GOTTLOB BlJTTNER, 

who, according to the commandment 

of his crucified god and saviour, 

brought the glad tidings 

to the heathen, that the 

blood of Jesus 

had made an atonement for their sins. 

as many as embraced 

this doctrine in faith "were baptized 

into the death of the lord. 

hls last prayer was that they might 

be preserved until the day of our 

Lord Jesus Christ. 

He was born Dec 29, 1716, 

and fell asleep in the lord, feb. 23, 1745. 

2 For the Wechquadnach stone — 

[North Side.] 

Joseph Powell, 

a minister of the gospel 

IN THE 

Church of the United Brethren, 

born, 1710, 

near whiteciiurcii, shropshire, england, 

died, Sept. 23, 177 4, 

at slchem in the oblong, 

Duchess Co., N. Y. 

[South Side.] 

David Bruce, 

a minister of the gospel 

IN THE 

Church of the United Brethren, 

from 

Edinburgh, Scotland, 

died July 9, 1749, 

AT THE 

Wechquadnach Mission, 
Duchess Co., N. Y. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 83 

[East Side.] 

"how beautiful upon the mountains 
are the feet of him that bringeth 
Good tidings, that publisheth peace ; 
That bringeth good tidings of good ; 
That publisheth salvation." 

IsAiAn lii. T. 

[West Side.] 

Erected by the 

Moravian Historical Society, 

October 6, 1859. 

It yet remained for the Committee to determine with 
what exercises to conduct the dedication of the monu- 
ments. The occasion demanded something of an historical 
nature ; and the archives of the church at Bethlehem and 
elsewhere it was known could furnish matter bearing on the 
Mohican and Wampanoag mission that had never been 
published. Addresses of such a nature were accordingly 
determined upon. With the view of rendering the services 
solemn and impressive, as well as instructive, those portions 
of the Moravian ritual that relate to death and the resurrec- 
tion were selected, the use of the litanies at burials being 
deemed peculiarly appropriate, in as far as the remains of 
the missionaries had been committed to the grave without 
the performance of those cherished rites. For a like reason, 
the Easter morning litany, which is prayed yearly on Mora- 
vian burial-grounds, and the choral music of trombonists, a 
characteristic element of Moravian obsequies, were added 
to the programme of religious exercises. 

Finally, it was resolved to hold introductory services of a 
more general nature on the evening before the first clay of 
dedication. An opportunity would thus be afforded of 
gratifying the wishes of members of the Committee and 
friends in Duchess County, who were desirous of witness- 



84 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

ing Moravian worship, and hearing addresses on subjects 
relating to the secular and religious history and constitution 
of the Brethren. The use of the Bethel, a union church in 
the valley of the Shekomeko, had been offered for these 
services. 

The Rt. Rev. Peter Wolle, assisted by the Rev. Henry 
A. Shultz, pastor of the Moravian congregation at Bethle- 
hem, and the Rev. Sylvester Wolle, principal of the Young 
Ladies' Seminary at that place, were requested to conduct 
the ceremonies of the dedication. The Rev. Edwin T. Sen- 
seman, pastor of the Moravian congregation in New York 
City, and the Rev. Edmund De Schweinitz, pastor of the 
Moravian congregation in Philadelphia, consented to de- 
liver historical addresses, and the Rev. Sheldon Davis and 
the Rev. Frederick Sill, assistant minister of St. Thomas 
Church, N. Y., were invited to make introductory remarks 
respectively at Shekomeko and Wechquadnach. 

While thus desirous of rendering the services solemnly 
impressive by peculiar ceremonies, fears were entertained 
lest occasion might be given for exciting idle curiosity, and 
the dedication lose the character and effect it was the 
wish of all it should alone have and exercise. To prevent 
any such result, and to have the public rightly understand 
the nature and design of the occasion, the members of com- 
mittee in Duchess County deemed it advisable to publish 
the programme of exercises in full in several of the leading 
papers of the county. In a letter to the president of the 
committee, dated September 19th, Mr. Davis thus ex- 
pressed the views of himself and his associates in refer- 
ence to this point : " It has been with Mr. Lossing, as well 
as with myself, a matter of no small difficulty to determine 
exactly what was the best course to pursue. Some pub- 
licity was necessary in order to obtain the object of the 
dedication; and we finally concluded that a fair state- 



AND CONNECTICUT. 85 

merit of what was to be clone, of the peculiarities of the 
celebration, and the names and position of the Moravian 
speakers, was what was demanded by the existing state of 
public opinion in the whole region of country round about, 
and rightly due the same. We feel that the influence of 
idle curiosity, and the notion of looking at a mere spectacle, 
would to a much greater extent be avoided by that method 
than by any other ; and that, furthermore, the purpose of a 
sober and serious religious celebration of a matter of great 
public and historical interest would thus be best promoted." 
In the mean time, the work on the monuments had ad- 
vanced, and they were ready for the inscriptions early in 
September. In a letter dated the 19th of the month, Mr. 
Davis reports as follows: "The Shekomeko and Wech- 
quadnach monuments are completed, and are now standing 
in the marble-yard at Poughkeepsie, where they are visited 
daily by great numbers of people. There has been no mis- 
take or difficulty in the execution ; the lettering is neat, 
clear, and conspicuous; the marble, especially that of the 
Shekomeko monument, is very fine ; altogether, they fully 
equal my expectations, and I have no doubt will be entirely 
satisfactory to the committee." Again, in a letter dated 
September 22d, Mr. Davis writes: "I see nothing now in 
the way of the complete consummation of my hopes and 
efforts in this undertaking ; and it would be inexcusable in 
me not to express my gratitude to God for the providential 
agency I have been favored with in regard to the same. 
The foundation of the Shekomeko monument was laid on 
the 15th inst. The ground was excavated six feet square 
and three deep, to allow of ample masonry being laid as a 
firm support for the heavy slab. The rough stone-work was 
continued to the height of three and a half feet above 
ground, thus forming an elevation which will materially aid 
in rendering the landmark a conspicuous object. The 

7 



86 MORAVIANS IX NEW YORK 

mound is covered with sod. The labor of excavating and 
drawing stone was performed gratuitously by Messrs. Hunt- 
ing, Wilber, and Deuel. In digging for the foundation, a 
portion of a skull and a large bone were exhumed, also a 
small piece of the coffin in a state of almost perfect preser- 
vation. These were replaced, and the fragment of the 
original gravestone inserted in the upper layer of masonry, 
so as to be readily seen." 

The Shekomeko monument was set up under the direc- 
tion of Mr. Miller, on Wednesday, the 28th of September. 

In a letter, under date of Sept. 27th, Mr. Davis writes : 
" The Wechquadnach monument was set up yesterday, as 
the stone-cutter informs me, in perfect condition, and 
without accident. Mr. Lake superintended the prepara- 
tory labor. The remains of Bruce were exhumed, cared 
for by that gentleman with religious zeal and interest, 
gathered into a box, and placed beneath the monument. 
The skeleton was found entire, in a sitting posture, accord- 
ing to the Indian mode of burial, and the bones in an 
almost perfectly sound condition." 

Owing to the heavy rains in the third week of September, 
the erection of the monuments was deferred, and hence Mr. 
Davis was prevented from being present, as in the mean 
time he had been called from home. 

The removal of Powell's remains to the site of the Wech- 
quadnach stone, a measure which had been originally enter- 
tained by the committee, was abandoned. On reconsidera- 
tion, it appeared unnecessary, more especially as Mr. 
Douglas Clarke and his son, on whose land the grave is, 
proposed to replace the old tombstone, which is perfect. 
and to exercise a care for its preservation and for the sanc- 
tity of the spot. There was furthermore force in their 
argument, that the church and mission-house had stood on 
that side of Indian Pond, and hence the association of the 



AND CONNECTICUT. 87 

spot ought by no means to be forgotten or obliterated. In 
view of this, it was deemed proper to hold service also at 
this locality, and from there proceed across the lake in 
boats, pursuing the same course towards the southeastern 
shore as had been followed by the Indians when, one hun- 
dred and ten years ago, they conveyed the remains of their 
teacher over " Gnaden-See" for interment in their national 
burial-ground. 

All the necessary arrangements having been completed, 
ten of the number that purposed participating in the dedi- 
cation set out from Bethlehem, on the afternoon of the 3d 
of October, for New York. The party consisted of the Rt. 
Rev. Peter Wolle, the Rev. Sylvester Wolle, Misses Mary 
E. Shultz and Ellen Wolle, singers in the Moravian Church 
choir; Messrs. Jedediah Weiss, Ambrose H. Rauch, and 
James H. Wolle, trombonists ; Mr. Granville Henry and 
Miss Sophia L. Henry, of Boulton, and Mr. W. C. Reichel. 
The Rev. Henry A. Shultz was prevented by official duties 
from leaving home. At New York, the delegation was 
joined by the Rev. Edwin T. Senseman, of that city, the 
Rev. Edmund de Schweinitz, Mr. and Mrs. John Jordan, 
Jr., and Messrs. Townsend Ward, John A. McAllister, and 
George F. Bensell, from Philadelphia, and Mr. and Mrs. 
Bernard E. Lehman, from Bethlehem, also members of the 
Moravian Church choir at that place. 

On Tuesday morning, the party took the first train on 
the Harlem road going north, and early in the afternoon 
reached the Millerton station in Duchess Co., ninety-six 
miles above New York. Here Messrs. Hunting and Wilber 
were in waiting with carriages to convey the company to 
Pine Plains, ten miles to the N. W. At Mr. Samuel 
Deuel's, in the valley of the Shekomeko, they were cordially 
received. Mr. Davis and his wife had just come from Plea- 
sant Valley. Mr. and Mrs. Lossing arrived later in the day ; 



88 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

also the Rev. George H. Walsh and Mr. Theopliilus Gil- 
lender from Rhinebeck. The gathering had all the charms 
of a reunion, and of a meeting of parties mutually desirous 
of forming new and long-anticipated friendships. It was 
apparent, too, that the sympathies and good-wishes of the 
community were enlisted in the project undertaken in its 
midst by strangers. There were indications of the warmest 
welcome, and of a prevailing wish to render the sojourn of 
the Moravian visitors one of pleasant recollections. 

Nothing was left for them to arrange. Means of convey- 
ance from place to place had been provided, and entertain- 
ment at the several localities secured, with the assurance 
of hospitable receptions. From the " Shekomeko Literary 
Association," of Pine Plains, the following expression of 
interest was tendered to the Committee through its Presi- 
dent : — 

At a meeting of the Shekomeko Literary Association, 
convened Tuesday, Sept. 24th, 1859, for the purpose of 
taking action in relation to the dedication of the Biittner 
monument, present — 

THERON WILBER, WM. TOMS, 

RICHARD PECK, H. PARKER, 

H. E. SMITH, C PITCHER, 

DE SAULT GUERNSEY, GILES H. DUXBURY, 

It was unanimously 

Resolved, That the association in a body attend the 
dedicatory ceremonies; also, 

Resolved, That we tender to the Moravian Historical 
Society our high appreciation of their noble efforts to 
rescue from decay and oblivion the grave and memory of 
gifted and noble Biittner, whose zeal and uncompromising 
efforts to Christianize " the wild Mohicans," who inhabited 
the valley of the Shekomeko, met with such wonderful 
success. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 89 

Resolved, That we behold in this monument, in honor of 
the memory of the beloved Biittner on the part of the 
members of the Moravian Historical Society, an earnest 
that the cause in which he sacrificed his life still excites 
an interest, not only among their honorable body, but in 
the whole Christian world; and we consider it a harbinger 
of the ultimate realization of the hopes of all Christians, 
that there will yet be a remnant of this wonderful race 
evangelized, and preserved as a token of the power and 
goodness of the Christian religion to redeem all races and 
every people. 

Resolved, That we tender to the members of the above 
society, and their friends in attendance in the ceremonies 
of the dedication, the hospitalities of our association; and 
that we will, as far as we are able, aid in the successful 
accomplishment of their praiseworthy undertaking. 

Resolved, That a copy of the above resolutions be drawn 
up and signed by the President and Secretary of our Asso- 
ciation, and duly transmitted to the Secretary of the Mora- 
vian Historical Society. 

EDWARD HUNTING, President. 

Silas Gr. Deuel, Secretary. 

After dinner, spread with all the plenty that the treasures 
of autumn bring only to the farmer's table, several of the 
party repaired to the monument that marks the spot where 
Biittner lies. The pathway shows the valley of the Sheko- 
meko. "Leaving the high-road," writes one of the number, 
" we struck across the fertile flat that stretches out before 
you for a mile, an unbroken expanse of luxuriant meadow. 
On every side there were indications of agricultural thrift 
and abundance. The husbandman here has everything 
to gladden his heart, water to irrigate his lands, ample 
pasture for his cattle, and a soil that rewards the labor of 



90 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

his hands a hundred fold. Passing over this picture of 
rural tranquillity in a westerly direction, a gradual ascent 
brought us to the pasture, on whose summit the white 
marble soon rose in bold relief against the evening sky. 
The site is preeminently commanding. It overlooks the 
flats of the Shekomeko and the valley of the Stissing. It 
was near the close of a lovely October day, as we viewed 
these hallowed grounds, and the quiet of the landscape that 
met our eyes was in consonance with the feelings awakened 
by the associations of the interesting locality. The memo- 
ries of the silent past were reflected by mountain and forest 
and sky, as they lay in softened outline in the magic haze 
of the autumnal horizon. Nature appeared to us more than 
ordinarily beautiful, and this, too, at a season when she 
decks herself in her most brilliant garments. The eastern 
slope of Stissing was one mosaic of crimson, and emerald 
and gold, and at its foot, towards the north, like a sapphire 
of the first water, set in the midst of this gorgeous splendor, 
lay the placid expanse of Halcyon Lake. The lowlands to 
the south were already checkered with lengthened shadows, 
and, when we left, the site of the old Indian village, in the 
hollow below, lay buried in the dusk of twilight, as are the 
records of what here transpired in the every-day life of 
Abraham, and Isaac, and John, and the other worthies who 
clustered around the bark-covered church of the Moravian 
Missionary." 

The committee repaired to the Bethel, where the services 
introductory to those of the dedication had been appointed. 
On approaching the little white church a beautiful sight was 
presented. The roadside was lined with vehicles, and the 
green before the building thronged with human forms. 
They stood in groups upon the lawn, in the shadow of the 
trees, and in the softened moonlight that lit up the mild 
and balmy evening. The church was also full. It was 



a . I 







AND CONNECTICUT. 



91 



evidently more than usually illuminated, and decked with 
flowers as if for a festive occasion. 

The Bishop and the Rev. Edmund de Schweinitz ascended 
the pulpit, before which seats had been provided for the 
Moravian delegation. The worship was opened by the 
following chorus, performed by the trombonists who stood 
in the open doorway: — 

Tune 230. 




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It is the accompaniment to the following stanza in the 
collection of Moravian hymns: — 



92 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

"From thy holy habitation, 
God of grace and consolation, 
Behold us met before thy throne; 
Saviour, to believers precious, 
With sanctified delights refresh us, 
And us, as thine, in mercy own ; 
We humbly cry to thee, 
Send now prosperity; 
Let thy beauty 
On us appear — establish here 
Our work, the work of praise and prayer." 

The Bishop now prayed the Moravian Church Litany — 

Lord, have mercy npon us. 

Christ, have mercy upon us. 
Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Christ, hear us. 

Lord, Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in good- 
ness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression 
and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; (Exod. xxxiv. G, 7.) 

Incline thine ear and hear; for we do not present our supplications before 
thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies. (Daniel ix. 18.) 

Lord God, our Father, which art in heaven, 

Hallowed be thy name ; thy kingdom come; thy will he done in earth, as d 
is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread ; and forgive us our trespasses, 
as we forgive them that trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, 
bid deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, 
forever and ever : Amen. 

Lord God, Son, thou Saviour of the world, 

Be gracious unto us. 
Lord God, Holy Ghost, 

Abide with us forever. 

t. 22. Most holy blessed Trinity, 

We praise thee to eternity :ll: :ll: 

t. 132; p. 2. Thou Lamb once slain, our God and Lord, 
To needy prayers thine ear afford, 
And on us all have mercy. 

From coldness to thy merits and death, 

From error and misunderstanding, 

Fi-om the loss of our glory in thee, 

From the unhappy desire of becoming great, 



AND CONNECTICUT. 93 

From self-complacency, 

From untimely projects, 

From needless perplexity, 

From the murdering spirit and devices of Satan, 

From the influence of the spirit of this world, 

From hypocrisy and fanaticism, 

From the deceitfulness of sin, 

From all sin, 

Preserve us, gracious Lord and God. 

By all the merits of thy life, 

By thy human birth and circumcision, 

By thy obedience, diligence, and faithfulness, 

By thy humility, meekness, and patience, 

By thy extreme poverty, 

By thy holy baptism, 

By thy watching, fasting, and temptations, 

By thy griefs and sorrows, 

By thy prayers and tears, 

By thy having been despised and rejected, 

Bless and comfort us, gracious Lord and God. 

By thine agony and bloody sweat, 
By thy bonds and scourgings, 
By thy crown of thorns, 
By thy cross and passion, 
By thy sacred wounds and precious blood, 
By thy dying words, 
By thy atoning death, 
By thy rest in the grave, 
By thy glorious resurrection and ascension, 
By thy sitting at the right hand of God, 
By thy sending the Holy Ghost, 
By thy prevailing intercession, 
By the holy sacraments, 

By thy divine presence, (Matt, xxviii. 20.) 

By thy coming again to thy Church on earth, or our being called home to thee, 
Bless and comfort us, gracious Lord and God. 

T. 96. We humbly pray with one accord, 
Remember us, most gracious Lord ; 
Think on thy sufferings, wounds, and cross, 
And how by death thou savedst us ; 
For this is all our hope and plea, 
In time and in eternity. 

We poor sinners pray ; 

Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 



94 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

Rule and lead thy holy Christian Church ; 

Increase the knowledge of the mystery of Christ, and diminish misapprehensions ; 
Make the word of the cross universal among those who are called by thy name ; 
Unite all the children of God in one spirit ; (John xi. 52.) 

Abide their only Shepherd, High-priest, and Saviour ; 

Send faithful laborers into thy harvest; (Matt. ix. 38.) 

Give spirit and power to preach thy word ; 

Preserve unto us the word of reconciliation till the end of days ; 
And through the Holy Ghost, daily glorify the merits of thy life, sufferings, and 
death ; 

Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

Prevent or destroy all designs and schemes of Satan, and defend us against his 
accusation; (Rev. xii. 10.) 

For the sake of that peace which we have with thee, may we, as much as lieth 
in us, live peaceably with all men ; (Rom. xii. 18.) 

Grant us to bless them that curse us, and to do good to them that hate us ; 

(Matt. v. 44.) 

Have mercy upon our slanderers and persecutors, and lay not this sin to their 
charge ; (Acts vii. 60.) 

Hinder all schisms and offences ; 

Put far from thy people all deceivers and seducers ; 

Bring back those who have erred, or have been seduced ; 

Grant love and unity to all our congregations ; 
Hear lis, gracious Lord and God. 

Thou Light and Desire of all nations ; (Matt. iv. 16 ; Hag. ii. 7.) 

Watch over thy messengers both by land and sea ; 

Prosper the endeavors of all thy servants, to spread thy gospel among heathen 
nations ; 

Accompany the word of their testimony concerning thy atonement, with demon- 
stration of the Spirit and of power; (1 Cor. ii. 4.) 

Bless our, and all other Christian congregations gathered from among the 
heathen ; 

Keep them as the apple of thine eye ; (Deut, xxxii. 10.) 

Have mercy on thy ancient covenant-people, the Jews ; deliver them from their 
blindness ; (Rom. xi. 25, 26.) 

And bring all nations to the saving knowledge of thee ; 

Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

praise the Lord, all ye heathen : 
Praise him, all ye nations. 

Give to thy people open doors to preach the gospel, and set them to thy praise 
on earth ; (Rev. iii. 8.) 

Grant to all bishops and ministers of the church soundness of doctrine and holi- 
ness of life, and preserve them therein; (Tit. i. 7, ii. 1.) 



AND CONNECTICUT. 95 

Help all elders to rule well, especially those who labor in the word and doc- 
trine ; that they may feed thy church, which thou hast purchased with thine 
own blood ; (1 Tim. v. 17 ; Acts xx. 28.) 

Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

Watch graciously over all governments, and hear our intercessions for them ; 

(1 Tim. ii. 1, 2.) 

Grant and preserve unto them thoughts of peace and concord; 

We beseech thee especially, to pour down thy blessings in a plentiful manner 
upon the President of the United States, and the Governors of the individual 
States of the Union ; upon both Houses of Congress, and the respective State 
Legislatures, whenever assembled. Direct and prosper all their councils and 
undertakings to the promotion of thy glory, the propagation of the gospel, 
and the safety and welfare of this country. 

Guide and protect the magistrates of the land wherein we dwell, and all that are 
put in authority ; and grant us to lead under them a quiet and peaceable life, 
in all godliness and honesty; (1 Tim. ii. 2.) 

Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

Teach us to submit ourselves to every ordinance of man for thy sake ; and to 
seek the peace of the places where we dwell ; (1 Pet, ii. 13 ; Jer. xxix. 7.) 

Grant them blessing and prosperity ; 

Prevent war, and the effusion of human blood ; 

Preserve the land from distress by fire and water, hail and tempest, plague, pes- 
tilence, and famine ; 

Let the earth be like a field which the Lord blesseth ; 

Give peace and salvation, God, to this land, and to all that dwell therein ; 
Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

t. Te Deum, p. 2. Promote, we pray, thy servants' good, 

Redeem'd with thy most precious blood ; 
Among thy saints make us ascend 
To glory that shall never end ; 
Lord, have mercy on us all, 
Have mercy on us when we call ; 
Lord, we have put our trust in thee, 
Confounded let us never be : Amen. 

Supply, Lord, we pray thee, all the wants of thy Church ; 
Let all things be conducted among us in such a manner, that we provide things 
honest, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men ; 

(2 Cor. viii. 21.) 
Bless the sweat of the brow, and faithfulness in business ; 
Let none entangle himself with the affairs of this life ; (2 Tim. ii. 4.) 

But may all our labor of body and mind be hallowed unto thee ; 
Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

thou Preserver of men, (Job vii. 20.) 

Send help to all that are in distress or danger ; 



96 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

Strengthen and uphold those who suffer bonds and persecution for the sake of 

the gospel; (Heb. xiii. 3.) 

Defend, and provide for fatherless children, and widows, and all who are desolate 

and oppressed ; (Ps. lxviii. 5.) 

Be the support of the aged ; (Is. xlvi. 4.) 

Make the bed of the sick, and, in the midst of suffering, let them feel that thou 

lovest them ; (Ps. xli. 3.) 

And when thou takest away men's breath, that they die, then remember that 

thou hast died, not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world ; 

(1 John ii. 2 ; Rom. v. 18.) 
Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

Lord, thou who art over all, God blessed for ever, (Eom. ix. 5.) 

Be the Saviour of all men ; (1 Tim. iv. 10.) 

Yea, have mercy on thy whole creation ; (Rom. viii. 19, 22.) 

For thou earnest, by thyself to reconcile all things unto God, whether things 
in earth, or things in heaven ; (Col. i. 20 ; Eph. ii. 16.) 

Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

Thou Saviour of thy body, the church ; (Eph. v. 23.) 

Bless, sanctify, and preserve every member, through the truth ; (John xvii. 17.) 
Grant that each, in every age and station, may enjoy the powerful and sanctify- 
ing merits of thy holy humanity ; and make us chaste before thee in soul and 
body ; 
Let our children be brought up in thy nurture and admonition ; (Eph. vi. 4.) 
Pour out thy Holy Spirit on all thy servants and handmaids ; (Acts ii. 18.) 

Purify our souls, in obeying the truth, through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love 
of the brethren ; (1 Pet. i. 22.) 

Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

Keep us in everlasting fellowship with the church triumphant, and let us rest 
together in thy presence from our labors ; 
Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

Christ, Almighty God, 

Have mercy upon us. 

thou Lamb of God, which takest away the sin of the world, (John i. 29.) 

Own us to be thine. 

thou Lamb of God, which takest away the sin of the world, 
Be joyful over us. 

thou Lamb of God, which takest away the sin of the world, 
Leave thy peace with us. 

Christ, hear us. 

Lord, have mercy upon us. 
Christ, have mercy upon us. 

Lord, have mercy upon us 



AND CONNECTICUT. 



97 



The choir next performed the following anthem, accom- 
panied by the melocleon : — 



ORGAN OR MELODEOX. 



Andante 
u. Maestoso. Solo. 

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AND CONNECTICUT. 



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MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 




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AND CONNECTICUT. 



101 



The following hymn having been sung by the congrega- 



tion : — 




1. ,Te - sus' life of 
Prove in life our 



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Sing his triumphs :||: 
' Twas for us his blood was spilt. 

3. Jesus yieldeth up his spirit, 

Lo, he bows his head and dies ; 
From his death we life inherit, 
Hence our happiness takes rise ; 

We now glory :||: 
Only in his sacrifice. 

4. Jesus' body once interred, 

Sanctifies his brethren's rest ; 

And the place which keeps their bodies, 

Since earth lodg'd that heavenly guest, 

Now is hallowed :||: 
We lie down in hope most blest. 



102 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

The Bishop arose and addressed his auditory in these 
words : — 

BISHOP WOLLE'S ADDRESS. 

Beloved Brethren and Friends: — 

In the good providence of God, this congregation has 
met in His courts on an extraordinary and exceedingly 
interesting occasion. The majority of my hearers consists 
of the worthy inhabitants of this beautiful valley; with these 
a little band of Moravians and friends of theirs, chiefly from 
Pennsylvania, have united in the religious services of the 
evening, introductory to the solemnities in which, by Divine 
permission, we all hope to engage on the morrow and the 
following day. The community has already been apprised 
of the object of our visit. We design to honor the me- 
mory of some of our brethren, who, more than a century 
ago, finished their earthly pilgrimage, after having been 
permitted to see very encouraging fruits of their labors in 
the sacred calling of teaching the way of salvation opened 
for sinners by the crucified Redeemer, to the aborigines of 
this region. Services of such a nature are at all times 
solemn. As often as we stand at the tombs of departed 
friends — at the resting-places of such as have entered into 
the joy of their Lord — how forcibly are we reminded of our 
own swiftly approaching departure from time to eternity, and 
led to examine the ground of our hope of happiness beyond 
the grave. If, therefore, we engage in the holy services 
before us with due reverence, and with hearts willing to 
receive Divine impressions, we shall ever gratefully remem- 
ber this occasion as one of interest and of abiding blessings. 

The attention of this community is at the present time 
naturally directed to that branch of the Church of Christ 
which bears the name of the Unitas Fratrum, or the Mo- 
ravian Church of the United Brethren. When our mis- 



AND CONNECTICUT. 103 

sionaries labored here, our Church may have been more 
generally known than after the abandonment of the field; 
but yet it was regarded with prejudice, and its character 
but imperfectly understood. Since then, more enlarged and 
more correct views prevail, and it is with humble gratitude 
before the Lord our Saviour, that we acknowledge the 
favor which our Zion universally enjoys; at the same time 
that we are compelled to confess that the estimate in which 
we are held far exceeds our deserts. 

I do not design to enter on the history of our former 
mission labors in this neighborhood — another brother will 
treat this subject to-morrow; neither do I propose to give 
a sketch of the history of our Church in general — the 
brother who is to succeed me having been requested to do 
this. 

My object is, in the first place, to present to your consi- 
deration the Church of the Brethren, as a body of Chris- 
tians animated with the holy desire to fulfil the Saviour's 
command to his disciples, " Go ye into all the world and 
preach the Gospel to every creature." We humbly acknow- 
ledge that the Lord Jesus, the exalted Head of His Church, 
has chosen us to be a "witness congregation" that He has 
undeservedly ordained us to carry the light of the Gospel 
to the gentile world, lying in darkness, misery, and guilt. 

One hundred and thirty-two years ago, soon after a rem- 
nant of the ancient Church of the Brethren had been trans- 
planted to Saxony, the church of Herrnhut was baptized 
with a pentecostal outpouring of the Holy Spirit. A 
blessed result of this season of refreshing from the pre- 
sence of the Lord, was the fervent wish which filled the 
hearts of the Brethren to be " witnesses" unto Him to the 
uttermost parts of the earth. (Acts i. 8.) Believing that 
Jesus Christ was the Saviour of the world, loving Him in 
sincerity, and longing to glorify His name, our fathers did 



104 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

not remain idle spectators of the miserable state in which 
the heathen lived, but were impelled, although few in num- 
ber and poor in means, to go to them in their dark regions, 
as heralds of the Cross. In the year 1732, the first Mora- 
vian missionaries proceeded to the Island of St. Thomas ; 
and in the following year the inhospitable coast of Green- 
land saw the feet of them that brought good tidings — that 
published peace. Nor were the aborigines of this country 
forgotten, and soon the wilds of North America became a 
field of devoted missionary labor. It may prove interesting 
to my respected hearers to be informed of the present 
extent of the operations among the heathen, carried on by 
our Church. Our missionary field is divided into fourteen 
provinces, as follows : Greenland, Labrador, North America, 
Central America, Danish West Indies, Jamaica, Antigua, 
St. Kitts, Barbadoes, Tobago, Surinam in South America, 
South Africa, Thibet in Asia, and Australia. In these pro- 
vinces we have 75 regular stations, 312 missionaries, 1 male 
and female, and nearly 74,000 converts. 

Between two and three hundred thousand dollars are annu- 
ally required to meet the expenses of our mission work. This 
amount is raised chiefly by missionary associations, of which 
the following three stand foremost: "The Brethren's Society 
for the furtherance of the Gospel among the Heathen," 
established in 1741 in the British Province, as it was called, 
composed of Great Britain and Ireland; "The London 
Association in aid of the Missions of the United Brethren," 
founded in 1817; and "The Society for Propagating the 
Gospel among the Heathen," organized at Bethlehem, Pa., 
and incorporated in 1788. Other sources of revenue are 
the contributions of our churches, legacies, donations from 

1 The native assistants are not included in this number, but only those 
who have gone out from the home Church. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 105 

friends of the cause, both in America and Europe, and, 
above all, the means supplied by some of the missions them- 
selves. We bless the Lord that laborers in the missionary 
field have never been wanting, and that the funds necessary 
for carrying on the work have always been provided. 

In order to improve the present occasion for communi- 
cating correct information relative to our Church, I will now 
proceed to exhibit, in a few brief propositions, the doc- 
trines which it holds. In all fundamental and essential 
points, we agree with every other evangelical division of the 
Christian church. We have no Confession of Faith as such. 1 
The Bible is the text-book to which we refer for our creed; 
and our catechisms for the instruction of youth, give a clear 
and simple exposition of the doctrinal views which we 
entertain. 

1. We believe in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scrip- 
tures, and prize the sacred volume as the precious source of 
all truth, whence we obtain knowledge concerning the crea- 
tion, the Author of our being, the state of man, his redemp- 
tion through the Mediator, our path of duty, our blessed 
privileges, and our everlasting destiny. 

2. We believe in the doctrine of a Holy Trinity, three 
persons in one Godhead — in God the Father, the Father of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, and through Him, of all who embrace 
the salvation which infinite wisdom and love devised from 
eternity, and which was wrought out in the fulness of time 
by the sacrifice of the Son — in God the Son, who con- 
descended to assume human nature, veiling His eternal glory 
for a season to suffer an expiatory death, and to carry out 
the gracious purposes of His Father — and in God the Holy 

1 The Moravian church on the Continent of Europe, where a Confession 
is required by government, freely declares its adherence to the twenty-one 
articles of the Augsburg Confession. The Easter Morning Litany, which 
is used in all Moravian churches, contains a summary of doctrine. 



106 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

Ghost, through whom sinful man is convicted, brought into 
godly sorrow, enlightened, and, by faith in Christ, made to 
rejoice in God his reconciled Father, in Jesus his Re- 
deemer, and in the Spirit his Sanctifier. 

3. We believe in the universal and total depravity of 
man. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death 
by sin ; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have 
sinned." (Romans v. 12.) "There is none that doeth 
good, no, not one." (Romans iii. 12.) 

4. We believe in the total inability of man, by his own 
wisdom and strength, to secure the favor of his offended 
Maker, and to deliver his soul from justly deserved eternal 
condemnation. 

5. We believe that there is none other name under 
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved, but 
the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Lamb of God which 
taketh away the sin of the world. 

6. We believe that heartfelt repentance of sin, and true 
faith in our Crucified Surety, are the Gospel terms on which 
alone a happy deliverance from condemnation, and a glori- 
ous admission to heavenly felicity can be obtained. 

7. We believe that faith in Christ must be a living prin- 
ciple, working by love — love to God and man ; and must 
be manifested by a sober, righteous, and godly life in this 
present world. 

8. We believe that our brief life on earth is the time to 
prepare for the eternal world which is to come, and that on 
the relations which we shall sustain to God our Saviour, 
who is the appointed Judge of the world, when we shall 
pass from this present state of existence, will depend either 
our everlasting condemnation, or our admission to the inef- 
fable bliss and glory of the mansions in heaven. 

Among all the blessed truths of our holy religion, the 
doctrine of salvation through the crucified Redeemer — or 



AND CONNECTICUT. 107 

of a perfect atonement by the blood of Jesus Christ, 
which cleanseth from all sin — has always been regarded, 
both in the ancient church of the Brethren previous to the 
Reformation, and in the renewed church, to the present 
day, as of paramount importance. We glory in the cross 
of Christ. There was a time when this cardinal doctrine 
was nowhere proclaimed with such simplicity, earnestness, 
and saving efficacy as in the Church of the Brethren. But 
we rejoice to know that, in the present day, Gospel preach- 
ers abound, in all the divisions of the church, who are deter- 
mined, like Paul, not to know anything save Jesus Christ 
and Him crucified. And while we bless God that, through 
His grace, our pulpits have never been desecrated by teach- 
ings contrary to sound doctrine, and to that truth which is 
nearest and dearest to our hearts; we are, at the same time, 
constrained to mourn that so many among us are still with- 
out the experimental knowledge of Christ, which consti- 
tutes a foretaste of heaven, inasmuch as poor, unworthy 
sinners are permitted to enjoy daily communion with our 
exalted, yet ever present Friend, that sticketh closer than a 
brother. 

Let me here remark that our Church never was, nor at 
this time is, sectarian in its views, or in its relations to 
other Christians. We are ready to extend a fraternal hand 
to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and walk 
in the way of his commandments. Hence we admit to our 
pulpits approved and regularly ordained ministers of every 
evangelical church, and do not hesitate to accept of invita- 
tions to preach in churches of any evangelical name. 

The universal Church of Christ on earth may be regarded 
as composed of a number of families, all occupying the same 
edifice, which is suitably prepared for them, and provided 
with every desirable comfort. These families are closely 
united by a sacred bond of love, are intent on glorifying 



108 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

God their Saviour, and seek to prepare for their common 
abode in the house not made with hands, eternal in the 
heavens. But in their external arrangements, perfect uni- 
formity cannot be expected. The occupants of each part 
of the edifice will be distinguished from the rest by tastes, 
customs, and furniture of their own. So it is in" the case of 
the Brethren's Church; it has its peculiar government, wor- 
ship, ritual, and discipline. Time does not permit me to 
enter on an exposition of these. I will only remark, that 
as the same Gospel is preached wherever we are found, so 
we have the same litanies, the same hymns and tunes, the 
same mode of administering the sacraments, all the world 
over. In this connection I cannot forbear mentioning a 
precious little manual of devotion, published annually, and 
called The Text Book. It contains, for each day in the 
year, two passages from the Scriptures, the one taken from 
the Old, and the other from the New Testament; to these 
texts are added suitable stanzas from our collection of 
hymns. The work is designed to direct the attention of 
our brethren and sisters throughout the whole church, daily 
to the same words of Divine Truth as to watch-words from 
the Lord, on which they are prayerfully to meditate while 
fighting the good fight of faith. These texts also consti- 
tute, very frequently, the basis of discourses addressed by 
the ministers to their congregations in the evening services 
of the week. 

My closing remarks bear on the solemn occasion which 
has brought us together. I will briefly advert to the views 
of death and the grave, entertained by the Brethren. We 
know that as many as are true believers, living in fellow- 
ship with Jesus, who has the keys of hell and of death, are 
delivered from the fear of it, and, with the apostle, can 
confidently say: "I desire to depart and to be with Christ, 
which is far better; for to me to live is Christ and to die 



AND CONNECTICUT. 109 

is gain." (Phil. i. 23 and 21.) We welcome the hour in 
the which, our work on earth being finished, we shall be 
permitted to close our eyes and fall asleep in Jesus, assured 
that our spirits will enter the mansions which He went to 
prepare for us. The grave has lost its terrors since Jesus 
made it his bed, and sanctified it as the resting-place for our 
mortal remains until the glorious day of resurrection, when 
"what is sown in corruption shall be raised in incorrupt-ion, 
what is sown a natural body shall be raised a spiritual body" 
(1 Cor. xv. 42 and 44); and the Lord Jesus Christ "shall 
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto 
his glorious body" (Phil. iii. 21), and we shall be forever 
with the Lord. 

Our burying-grounds, which we love to call " God's acres," 
are somewhat peculiar in their arrangements. We recognize 
no distinction between rich and poor, but the remains of 
those that die are deposited in regular succession, in rows, 
according to certain rules. Over each grave there is a low 
mound, and on this a small marble tablet, inscribed with 
the name and age of the sleeper in death. Monuments, 
properly so called, if found in our Moravian cemeteries, are 
there only by way of exception. Our burying-grounds are 
generally laid out in such a manner that simplicity and 
regularity are combined with taste and beauty, and shady 
walks invite to the consecrated spot, so well ritted for de- 
vout meditations. 

In these days it will be our privilege to stand at the 
tombs of brethren who, while faithfully laboring among the 
Indians of this region, in the name of the Lord and His 
Church, received the welcome summons to enter into their 
rest and to enjoy their everlasting reward. As we shall look 
on the monuments, the work of human hands, and remember 
the precious dust deposited beneath them, let us also look, 
first, to the graves that severally wait for each of us, and 



110 



MORAVIAN'S IN NEW YORK 



then devoutly and gratefully lift up our eyes to see, by 
faith, our Father's house on high, with its many mansions. 
And may we, one and all, through infinite mercy, having 
washed our garments clean in the blood of sprinkling, be 
found ready, when the Lord shall come, to meet Him with 
holy rapture, and receive at His hands the crown of righte- 
ousness ! 

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2. Thrice happy who are gone before, 
With hosts angelic to adore, 

The God of our salvation ; 
Rapt fancy hears the ceaseless song, 
Of that unnumbered blessed throng, 

From ev'ry age and nation. 
May we join thee, ever glorious, 

Ransom'd chorus, 
Heav'n translated, 

Never to be separated ! 

The Rev. Edmund de Schweinitz now rose, and gave the 
following historical sketch of the Church of the United 
Brethren : — 

ADDRESS OF THE REV. MR. DE SCHWEINITZ. 1 

My friends, I rise in place of another clergyman of the 

church represented here, who was appointed to give you, on 

this occasion, a sketch of the history of the Moravians, but 

who, unfortunately is detained at home by very important 

1 Mr. de Schweinitz's address, as delivered on the occasion, was altogether 
extemporaneous. What is here given, is the substance of his remarks, 
written out by him at a later time. 



112 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

official duties. My own time has been so much occupied 
that I am not prepared to deliver a formal address, but can 
promise you only a simple statement, from memory, of the 
leading facts of Moravian history. 

In the heart of Europe, surrounded by mountain chains, 
except towards the south, lie two contiguous countries, 
whose history, although comparatively little known to the 
general reader, is full of interest, and often of a startling 
character. These are Bohemia and Moravia, at present 
provinces of the Austrian Empire. In the ninth century 
of our era, two missionaries of the Greek Church, who 
were originally from regions where the apostle Paul had 
himself labored, came to the Bohemians and Moravians, 
and taught them the great truths of Christianity. The 
one was Cyrill, who invented a Slavonian alphabet, and 
translated the Bible into the vernacular ; the other, Metho- 
dius, his brother, and faithful coadjutor in establishing a 
national and not a Latin church. It appears that, from the 
earliest times of their Christian history, the people of these 
two countries protested against the usurpations of the 
Romish Hierarchy, and for many years refused to submit 
to its sway, although the popes steadfastly endeavored to 
attach lands so rich and fertile to their see. And when, at 
last, through the stress of political relations, Bohemia was 
made a Romish bishopric, there arose in the nation, at 
various times, men of God, who were animated by a far 
more liberal spirit, and had a better and deeper conception 
of the truth, as it is in Jesus, than the bigoted upholders of 
the papacy. Distinguished above all the rest, enlightened 
by the Spirit of God, the champion of an open Bible, the 
great Reformer before the Reformation — was John Hus. 
He was born in the year 1373. The writings and sermons 
of this man opened the way for a new epoch in the ecclesi- 
astical history of his native country, and made him the 



AND CONNECTICUT. 113 

apostle of the Moravian Church. He took a bold and de- 
cided stand against the corruptions of the Hierarchy, and 
especially against the infamous sale of indulgences, com- 
menced in 1412 by order of Pope John. Under these 
circumstances, Rome became alarmed, as might well be 
expected; and, in 1414, Hus was cited to appear before 
the Church-Council which had convened at Constance, a 
town lying on Lake Boden, in Switzerland. He obeyed 
the summons, and was treacherously cast into prison. 
Every exertion to induce him to recant proving fruitless, 
he was condemned as a heretic, and burnt alive at the 
stake on the 6th of July, 1415. 

The consequences of this bloody act were fearful. A 
most sanguinary contest, known as the Hussite War, broke 
out in Bohemia, and raged for a number of years. The 
Hussites forgot the spirit and teaching of him whose name 
they bore. It was a bitter, relentless conflict of races, 
marked by all the atrocities of civil commotions, and brought 
to an end only through the disputes between the two fac- 
tions — Calixtines and Taborites — into which the Hussites 
had themselves separated. Rome satisfied the Calixtines by 
certain concessions, which the Taborites would not accept; 
and then induced the former to turn their arms against the 
latter, who were totally defeated and overthrown. The 
Calixtines now became the national church of Bohemia. 

But not all the followers of Hus had resorted to arms. 
There were those in the city of Prague, and others scat- 
tered over the country, who adhered to the pure doctrines 
of the Bible as expounded by their Master, and earnestly 
prayed for a general reformation of the church. These men 
of God, about the year 1450, were greatly encouraged by 
the interest manifested, on the part of the Calixtine Bishop 
Rokyzan, in the cause which they had at heart. He 
preached with great power against the corruptions which 



114 MORAVIANS IX NEW YORK 

polluted the church, and exhorted the Bohemians to return 
to the doctrines and practice of Hus. Unfortunately, 
however, this proved to be but a momentary burst of enthu- 
siasm. The awakened had frequent interviews with the 
Bishop, and besought him to put himself at the head of 
those who longed for a reformation of doctrine and life in 
the church ; but he gave them always evasive answers. At 
last, in order to put an end to their importunities, he secured 
permission for them, from the Hegent of Bohemia, to take 
up their abode on an estate called Lititz, in the northeastern 
part of the country ; there they might enjoy a quiet retreat, 
and edify one another in the Lord. Little did the man 
anticipate the far-reaching result that should grow out of 
this step! A number of the awakened in Prague at once 
embraced the permission which the Regent had granted, and 
established themselves on the barony of Lititz. They were 
joined very soon by others of like mind, from different 
parts of Bohemia and Moravia. A pious and liberal priest 
of the Calixtines ministered to them in holy things ; and 
before long the settlers of Lititz were united in bonds of 
true fellowship and love, and constituted a religious society 
that had for its purpose the furtherance of spirituality in 
its own midst, and a general reformation of the church. 

In the year 1457, this society assumed a more positive 
form. A general meeting of the evangelical inhabitants of 
the barony was called, on which occasion certain principles 
of doctrine and practice were adopted, twenty-eight elders 
chosen, and the name " Brethren and Sisters of the law of 
Christ" was given to the Association. Such, my friends, 
was the first organization of the Moravian United Brethren's 
Church, four hundred and two years ago. 

In the course of the next years, the Brethren were led to 
realize more and more the importance and necessity of 
separating entirely from the Calixtine establishment, and 



AND CONNECTICUT. 115 

changing their society into a regular church. Several con- 
ventions were held to deliberate on this important subject, 
and in the year 1467, it was brought to an issue. At Lhota, 
a village of Bohemia, about seventy representatives of the 
Brethren assembled, and, after very earnest and prayerful 
consultations, resolved to submit to the Lord, by the lot, 
the decision of the question whether an independent minis- 
try should be established or not. They were guided in this 
resolution by the example of the Apostles. 

The manner in which the Synod proceeded, on this occa- 
sion, is interesting. First, nine candidates were elected by 
ballot, then twelve tickets, of which three were inscribed 
with the word est, and nine left blank, were put into an 
urn. Next, after a fervent prayer had been offered up, a 
boy was called into the assembly, who took nine tickets 
singly from the urn, and handed one to each of the nine 
candidates ; three tickets remaining in the urn. You will 
readily perceive the object of this arrangement. The three 
lots in the urn might have been those inscribed with est, and 
the candidates might all have received blanks. Had this 
been the case, the Synod would have regarded it as an inti- 
mation from the Lord, that the Brethren were not to insti- 
tute a ministry of their own. But such was not the result. 
When the lots were opened, it was found that three of the 
candidates had received the three tickets marked est. The 
Synod rejoiced with humble gratitude, when this decision 
was made known. But now the question arose — who shall 
ordain these men'? It was one of the utmost moment. 
After having taken counsel together, the Synod determined 
to secure the episcopal succession from a colony of Wal- 
denses, living on the confines of Bohemia and Austria. 
This colony was said to have obtained the succession. 
Three deputies were accordingly sent to the "VValdenses, 
who gave them a full and satisfactory account of their epis- 



116 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

copate ; and then Bishop Stephen, with his assistants, con- 
secrated these deputies the first bishops of the Brethren's 
Church. In this way. the ecclesiastical organization was 
completed. 

The Brethren, in the course of the next half century, 
increased very much, in spite of the many and bloody per- 
secutions to which they were subjected. In their case, 
as in that of the primitive Christians, the blood of the 
martyrs was the seed of the Church. When the general 
reformation of the sixteenth century began, these earlier 
reformers possessed more than two hundred churches in 
Bohemia and Moravia, had published several Confessions 
of Faith, a translation of the Bible, a Catechism, and 
were preparing a collection of evangelical hymns. Nor 
did their labors cease, or their zeal relax, when Luther 
and his coadjutors appeared. On the contrary, they 
drew new life from their intercourse with these men of 
God, extended the Church to Poland, established insti- 
tutions of learning, issued the celebrated Bohemian Bible 
of Cralitz (translated by their bishops from the origi- 
nal, after a labor of fifteen years, and printed in six folio 
volumes), and developed their ecclesiastical and spiritual 
resources in various other ways. In 1557, when the Church 
had existed for one century, it was composed of three pro- 
vinces — the Bohemian, Moravian, and Polish — confederated 
as one Unitas Fratrum, or Unity of the Brethren. About 
half a century later, by the " Letters of Majesty" which the 
Emperor Rudolph II. published, the Brethren, together 
with the other Protestant denominations of Bohemia and 
Moravia, were legally acknowledged as a church. But 
this season of outward prosperity was of short duration. 
Eleven years afterwards, the well-known " Anti-Reforma- 
tion," under Ferdinand II., began. It was the purpose of 
this bigoted monarch to rid his dominions entirely and 



AND CONNECTICUT. 117 

forever of all heretics. Capuchin monks, with the imperial 
sentence on their lips: "Abjure your heretical faith, or 
leave the country!" — and dragoons enforcing it by their 
swords, together scoured the hills and valleys of Bohemia 
and Moravia in search of Protestants. More than thirty 
thousand of the inhabitants emigrated. The churches 
of the Brethren were closed, their people scattered, their 
bishops and ministers in exile. A similar fate befell the 
Lutherans and Reformed. AVhen the year 1627 opened, 
the Moravian and Bohemian branches of the Unitas Fra- 
trum had ceased to exist. The Polish branch remained for 
some time longer, but gradually was lost in the Reformed 
Church of that country. For a century and nearly three 
quarters of a century, did the Ancient Unity of the Breth- 
ren continue, and then, in the inscrutable providence of 
God, it was overthrown. But God, who permitted this, 
had glorious purposes in view. A new church was to rise 
from the midst of the ruins of the old, and extend the doc- 
trines and zealous labors of the Reformers before the 
Reformation, to the uttermost parts of the earth. 

A " hidden seed" remained in Moravia and Bohemia, for 
a period of ninety-four years. Of this seed, let me proceed 
to speak. When one of the ministers of the Brethren, 
with the broken remnant of his flock, was fleeing from 
Moravia to Poland, in the time of the Anti-Reformation, 
and had reached the top of the mountain ridge which 
divides the former country from Silesia, he fell down on 
his knees, and, looking with indescribable emotions towards 
his native land, poured out his heart in fervent prayer 
before God, beseeching Him that He would preserve a 
seed of righteousness in that country, and not suffer the 
truth as it is in Jesus altogether to pass away. This man 
was Amos Comenius, the connecting link between the 
Ancient and Renewed Church. Fifteen years later, at a 



118 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

Synod, held at Lissa by a number of the dispersed Brethren, 
he was consecrated a Bishop of the Moravian branch of the 
Unity — a branch which the Brethren at that time hoped 
would be speedily restored, through the power of the Pro- 
testant arms, in the Thirty Years' War. But their expec- 
tations were not fulfilled. The peace of Westphalia was 
concluded, without the least provision having been made 
for the evangelical churches which once flourished in 
Bohemia and Moravia. Still the soul of Comenius was 
filled with a prophetical anticipation of the renewal of the 
Church of his fathers. To this end, he continually directed 
his efforts, during his long exile, the greater part of which 
was spent in Holland. I may sum up the chief results of 
his labors in this respect as follows : He published the 
discipline of the Brethren, and a history of their Church, 
together with reflections of his own, and dedicated the 
whole to the Church of England, to whose kind offices he 
solemnly recommended the Brethren's Unity in the event 
of its renewal ; he issued a catechism containing the doc- 
trines of the Brethren, and dedicated it to " the godly sheep 
of Christ," as he called the members of the Ancient Church 
and their descendants, living in a number of Moravian 
villages, which he mentioned by name, and from each of 
which immigrants afterwards came to establish the Renewed 
Church ; and, above all, he cared for the preservation of the 
episcopate, in hope against hope, so that the succession 
might not be extinct, in case the Church should be resusci- 
tated. Having done these things, besides gaining for him- 
self a European reputation by his other literary labors, this 
venerable man — the last Bishop of the Moravian-Bohemian 
line — finished his course in the seventy-ninth year of his 
age. 

Meanwhile the principles and traditions of the fathers 
had been preserved in a number of families, particularly in 



AND CONNECTICUT. 119 

Moravia. Outwardly these were under the sway of Rome, 
but secretly they read the Bible and sang the hymns of the 
Brethren. Exile pastors came, now and then, and privately 
administered the sacraments to them. This state of things 
continued for some time. It is true that towards the end 
of the seventeenth century, evangelical truth had been for- 
gotten to a great extent among the descendants of the 
Brethren ; still there were single families who held to it, and 
enlightened patriarchs who were preachers of righteousness 
among their people. Let me refer to one of these men of 
God. His name was George Jaeschke. He loved the 
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, and after a long pilgrimage 
of fourscore years and three, extending from the beginning 
almost to the end of the period of the " Hidden Seed," when 
he was dying he called his grandsons around him, and with 
an inspiration that was well-nigh prophetical, declared it 
to be his firm conviction that the time for the renewal of 
the church was close at hand, solemnly exhorting them not 
to hesitate at any sacrifices, if the Lord should call them to 
go out of their country and their father's house into a 
strange land which He would show them. Having im- 
parted to them his blessing, the patriarch gave up the 
ghost. This was in the year 1707; fifteen years afterwards 
his anticipations were fulfilled. Let me proceed to the 
history of the Renewed Church, although time will permit 
me to draw only a few bare outlines. 

God made use of a number of men as instruments in the 
resuscitation of the Unitas Fratrum. I will mention only 
two of them, and must pass by the rest. The one was a 
nobleman of an ancient and distinguished family, the other 
a humble mechanic — the one a count, the other a carpenter — 
the one wealthy and influential, the other poor and without 
friends. Zinzendorf, the son of one of the prime ministers 
at the Court of Saxony; Christian David, a Moravian exile, 



120 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

once a Romanist, afterwards converted to the truth as it is 
in Jesus — these were the men. Both loved the Saviour 
with all their hearts, and were full of zeal to promote his 
glory. Christian David, during a period of five years, made 
frequent visits to his native country, and came to the former 
seats of the Brethren. "Wherever he stayed he preached the 
gospel. An awakening took place through his instrumen- 
tality in different parts of Moravia. After a time some of 
the awakened began to long for a place where they might 
worship the Lord in peace according to the dictates of their 
conscience. Christian David promised to do for them, in 
this respect, what he could ; but at first his exertions were 
fruitless. In the year 1722, Count Zinzendorf, who had 
meanwhile purchased an estate called Berthelsdorf, in Sax- 
ony, heard of David through a mutual friend, and sent for 
him. The result of the interview was, that the Moravian 
carpenter and missionary, for so he may be called, was 
made the bearer of an invitation from the Count to the 
awakened in Moravia to come and settle on his estate, 
where they should find a secure retreat. On Whit-Monday 
of that year, Christian David unexpectedly reappeared 
among his friends in Moravia, who had given up the hope 
of ever seeing him again, and delivered Zinzendorf's mes- 
sage. Now God's time for fulfilling, in his own way, the 
prayer of Comenius, uttered on the mountain top, was come. 
In the night of the 27th of May, at ten o'clock, two of the 
grandsons of the patriarch Jaeschke, with their families, 
ten souls together, left house and home, and all they had, 
for the Lord's sake, and under the guidance of Christian 
David, reached Berthelsdorf in safety, after a journey of 
twelve days. On the seventeenth of June, this little com- 
pany of immigrants was assembled in a thick forest of the 
estate, and Christian David, full of faith, struck his axe into 
a tree, exclaiming: "Here the sparrow hath found a house, 



AND CONNECTICUT. 121 

and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her 
young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and 
my God." Psm. lxxxiv. 3. That tree was the first cut down 
for the building of the town of Herrnhut, and Herrnhut, 
now a flourishing Moravian settlement in Saxony, is the 
mother congregation of the Renewed Unitas Fratrum. 

Immigrants from Moravia continued to arrive on Zinzen- 
dorf's estate ; others from Germany joined them. In five 
years' time Herrnhut numbered three hundred inhabitants. 
In 1727 a church was regularly organized, by the introduc- 
tion, in a somewhat modified form, of the ancient Moravian 
discipline, preserved in the work of Comenius, of which I 
spoke before. Eight years later, the resuscitation of the 
Unitas Fratrum was completed by the transfer, to the 
Brethren at Herrnhut, of the episcopal succession which 
had been kept up by the pious efforts of Comenius. On 
March 13, 1735, David Nitschmann, a Moravian immi- 
grant, was consecrated the first Bishop of the Renewed 
Church, by Daniel Jablonsky and Christian Sitkovius, the 
survivors of the ancient line. Two years afterwards, Zin- 
zendorf himself received the episcopal consecration, having 
resigned his post at the Saxon Court, and devoted himself 
entirely to the service of the Lord and His church. 

Such, my friends, was the renewal of the ancient Church 
of confessors, respecting which I have been speaking to you 
to-night. The spirit of the fathers descended upon it. 
Moravian Brethren went forth from Herrnhut, ten years 
after its founding, when the settlement numbered scarcely 
six hundred souls, as missionaries to various degraded 
heathen nations of the earth ; others established colonies 
in Great Britain and America. The first Moravian settle- 
ment on this continent was commenced in Georgia, in 
1735. In 1741 the Brethren came to Pennsylvania, and 
began to labor among the Indian tribes. To the present 



122 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

day the work of foreign missions chiefly enlists the strength 
and resources of the church. 1 

I have thus endeavored, my friends, by this simple state- 
ment, to tell you who we are, and what the Lord, the Lord 
God, who established a covenant with our fathers, has done 
for us ; and to Him alone I would most emphatically ascribe 

1 The Moravian home Church, at the present time, consists of three 
Provinces — the American, Continental, and British — numbering together 
about 20,000 souls. Of these, about 8300 constitute the church in the 
United States. These Provinces carry on the following operations : The 
American Province has 39 preaching stations and 14 missionaries among 
the German immigrants of this country. The Continental Province is 
engaged in a very extensive domestic mission among the state churches of 
the continent of Europe, employing 120 male and female missionaries. 
About 80,000 souls have been gathered as the result of this mission, but 
not into full communion with the Moravian Church, since the purpose of 
the work is not to proselyte, but to evangelize. In the three Provinces 
together, there are 44 Boarding Schools belonging to the Church, as such, 
and managed by it. At these schools about 2050 scholars are annually 
instructed, by 35*7 teachers. Four of these institutions are in the U. S., 
having 615 pupils, and 92 teachers. The more particular statistics of 
the foreign mission work, not given in the address of Bishop "Wolle, 
are as follows : Adults baptized and confirmed, 20,193; adults baptized, 
11,413; total of adults in church fellowship, 31,610; children baptized, 
21,196; total in church fellowship by the sacrament of baptism, 53,582; 
new converts and candidates for baptism, 20,731 ; whole number of con- 
verts, 14,538; stations, 74; missionaries, 312. Since the first commence- 
ment of this work, the Church has sent out 2087 missionaries into heathen 
lands. Besides the fields now occupied, unsuccessful attempts were made 
at various times to establish missions in Lapland, among the Samoyedes, 
in Algiers, Ceylon, China, Persia, East Indies, Caucasus, and Demarara. 
In Guinea, Abyssinia, Tranquebar, and among the Calmucks, missions sub- 
sisted for a time, but had to be suspended. During the last 25 years, there 
has been an increase in the foreign mission field of 32 stations, 104 mis- 
sionaries, and nearly 31,000 converts. The whole number of foreign and 
home or domestic missionaries, at this time, is 446. The whole number 
of souls connected with theUnitas Fratrum is about 175,000. For further 
particulars respecting the Church, consult "The Moravian Manual," pub- 
lished at Philadelphia in 1859. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 123 

all the glory. May the facts of history mentioned here this 
evening, tend to unite us, and all those among you who love 
the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, in the strong bonds of 
holy fellowship and love! The names and histories of 
God's people are manifold ; but I rejoice to be able to say 
that the great purpose of the Evangelical Church of this 
country, at the present time, seems to be to effect a unity 
of the spirit among all those who " name the name of 
Christ," and to prepare the way for a fulfilment, more real 
and manifest than has yet been witnessed, of the Saviour's 
high-priestly petition : " That they may all be one." 

The speaker next addressed the throne of Grace ; and 
the congregation having joined in the following stanza 
according to "Old Hundred" — 

" As long as Jesus Lord remains, 
Each day new rising glory gains ; 
It was, it is, and will be so 
With His church militant below" — 

the Bishop pronounced the benediction, and thus closed 
the services at the Bethel. 

SHEKOMEKO MONUMENT. 

Wednesday proved a beautiful but warm October day. 
Agreeably to appointment, the members of the committee 
met at Mr. Hunting's house, preparatory to engaging in the 
services at the Biittner monument; and, at 10 2 A. M., the 
procession formed as follows: — 

1. Trombonists. 

2. The Clergy (including, in addition to those of the 
Moravian Church, the Rev. S. Davis, the Rev. G. H. Walsh, 
and the Rev. S. K. Miller, of the Episcopal Church). 

3. Members of the Moravian Historical Societv. 



124 



MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 



4. Shekomeko Literary Association. 

5. Citizens on foot ; and 

6. Citizens in carriages. 

Amid the strains of funereal chorals performed by the 
trombonists, the procession moved along the lane that leads 
from the farm-house to the side of the Shekomeko Mission. 

The chorals are part of the Moravian burial service; 
some of those that are performed by the trombonists from 
the balcony or steeple of the church building, in a Moravian 
settlement, to announce the death of a member of the con- 
gregation, or while the procession is following the remains 
of the deceased to the grave. Each choral is suggestive of 
some well-known and appropriate stanza. 

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The field presented an animated scene. Great numbers 
had collected to witness the ceremonies, afoot or in vehicles, 
upwards of eighty of which encircled the height that is 
crowned by the monument. It was estimated that one 
thousand spectators were present. In thick array they lis- 
tened with marked attention to the solemn services, on 
which nothing broke in but the hum of cricket and grass- 
hopper, that revelled for the last time in the flood of fervid 
sunlight that poured down from an almost summer sky. 

The Rev. Sheldon Davis first ascended the platform, and, 
in an address warm with all the devotion that was to be 
expected from one of his enthusiasm in the occasion, thus 
introduced the services: — 



126 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

ADDRESS OF THE REY. MR. DAVIS. 

My friends, no one who knows the history of which this 
beautiful block of marble is a record will wonder at the 
concourse which we witness here to-day. This spot is the 
scene of hallowed memories, worthy of all reverence in the 
hearts of Christian men. There have been enacted upon 
this ground deeds among the noblest and most worthy in 
the history of mankind, deeds meet to stand on record while 
the world stands as a habitation of our race, deeds that are 
so recorded in the lpook of God's remembrance, that, until 
the archangel's trump shall wake the dead, his ministering 
spirits shall waft along their fame to the latest generations 
of mankind. 

Yes, doubtless, guardian angels hover round this spot ! 
Their bright wings seem even now joyfully to float over the 
balmy vale of Shekomeko, in the radiant sunbeams of this 
glorious day. In their sleepless watch and ward, this grave, 
these memories, shall never be forgotten. A half century 
of almost utter darkness has just been past ; and to a bat- 
tered fragment held in the watchful keeping of that angel 
band we owe the revelation of the tomb where sleeps, where 
rests in hope, the Christian hero, saint, and martyr, the 
blessed Buttner. 

But why this interest in Buttner'? He was but a man; 
he was but an ordinary, unlearned man, and but a youth ; 
his age, as marked upon this stone, is less than thirty years, 
his labor here but three short years, and most of that in 
bitter grief and sorrow. But he was faithful in the work 
to which God called him ; and, when God called him hence, 
his work was finished. A fit memorial this to Gottlob 
Buttner ! And may the grateful fragrance of his venerated 
name and of his holy work pervade the region where he 
labored, and beneath whose soil he sleeps from age to age, 



AND CONNECTICUT. 127 

from generation to generation, to whom this stone shall be 
a mute but eloquent witness of his deeds ! 

But Gottlob Biittner owes not this monument to any- 
thing he was or did. It was enough for Gottlob Biittner — 
it was all he sought — to live and die as God appointed him. 
Thousands of Christian men, thousands of Moravians have 
lived and died as faithfully as he, and been forgotten. The 
very name, indeed, Moravian, is redolent with Christian faith 
and hope. The faithless man who bears that noble name 
dishonors it. The name Moravian is the synonym of Chris- 
tian zeal, and faith, and hope, and love, such as scarce any 
other name can boast. For faithful missionary labor, for 
earnest missionary effort in the darkest corners of the earth, 
for missionary success on the most hopeless ground, it has 
no equal. 

And the special interest about this spot is that the Mo- 
ravians first planted here, among the red men of this north- 
ern continent, the standard of the cross, first began that 
high career of missionary zeal which has since filled the 
world with their renown. 

The church now called Moravian is an ancient heritage ; 
it bears the marks of hoar antiquity ; it was a church of 
Protestants long before the name of Protestant was known ; 
its ancient history was written in blood, shed through suc- 
cessive ages by the cruel rage of Rome ; it bears the scars 
of that long, bloody contest — honorable scars, indeed, such 
as alone the victor bears when he escapes, half dead, the 
clouds, and dust, and clangor of the battle. 

But the rich treasure committed to its trust was still 
preserved ; its apostolic faith and apostolic order were still 
retained. Almost alone of all the Continental churches, at 
the Reformation, it came forth in its full integrity and 
strength — not strong in numbers, not strong in wealth, not 
strong in any earthly gift, but in a greater strength, hold- 



128 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

ing fast the blessed promise, Lo ! 1 am with you ahcay. It 
was the happy restoration of the hope based on this precious 
promise which called forth the gratitude to God of which 
this work at Shekomeko was a living witness, and of which 
this stone is a memorial, I trust, to many generations. And 
here, as ever, they who hold this promise fast in its integ- 
rity are also found to hold the faith which it embodies. 
Think what you will about externals, the life of faith de- 
pends upon them. The apostolic doctrine is seldom severed 
from the apostolic fellowship ; the kernel cannot grow with- 
out the shell ; the spirit cannot live, at least on earth, with- 
out the body. When this outward tabernacle shall be 
dissolved, who shall identify the soul which animated it 1 

To Biittner's honor, it is here recorded that he "brought 
the glad tidings to the heathen that the blood of Jesus had 
made an atonement for their sins." The preaching of this 
doctrine the Moravians claim, and justly claim, as their 
peculiar glory. They have preached it as few other men, 
since apostolic times, have preached it. That was the 
sword which pierced the savage heart ; that was the talis- 
man which awed the savage spirit. I can see the painted, 
reckless desperado, Tschoop, in yonder birch-bark hut, list- 
ening with awe-struck reverence to that charming sound, 
and mark the inspiring ray of heavenly hope beam over his 
fierce and gloomy countenance as he hears the welcome 
tidings, " The blood of Jesus has made atonement for thv 
sins !" " Jesus Christ can save thee from the burden of thy 
sins !" 

Such, my friends and brethren, is the real history, the 
true origin of this noble monument. And what gave the 
Moravians this peculiar power 1 That is the question here 
proposed to-day. Let the Moravians solve it. But, solve 
it how they may, they will not fail to claim their noble 
heritage as an ancient apostolic church, tracing its origin 
from apostolic times, noting its glowing line of living light 



AND CONNECTICUT. 129 

through all the hoary ages of the past, and bringing forth 
the doctrine of Redemption through blood and fire, that, in 
these later times, it might have a brighter course of glory 
and a more expansive power. 

This monument, my friends, is worthy of your study. 
There are here still other indications of the richness, ful- 
ness, soundness of the Moravian teaching, and the just 
claim of the Moravian church to the apostolic character. 
Thus it reads : " As many as received this doctrine in faith 
were baptized into the death of the Lord." " Go ye and 
make disciples of all nations" This was the commission 
under which they acted. Go ye and make disciples of all 
nations, baptizing them. All nations ! Indian nations, 
then, as well as others ! all orders, all degrees, both sexes 
of all nations, called in the holy covenant of God ! children 
as well as those grown old in sin ! little Indian children, in 
the beautiful Moravian baptismal language, " made par- 
takers of this grace !" Read again upon this stone, " La- 
zara," an Indian child, the first whose sacred form was 
buried in this consecrated ground, " baptized" " born from 
above" " born of water and of the spirit" " buried with 
Christ by baptism into his death." The first birth is not 
even mentioned ; that, in this record, seems of little mo- 
ment, for it is a record not of temporal, but of spiritual 
things. The infant Lazara and aged Daniel are here laid 
side by side; and both are said to be baptized, and both to 
enter into rest. The aged Daniel was, by conversion, made 
as a little child ; and then he also shared the infant's bless- 
ing; and to each alike was said: "Now, therefore, live, yet 
not thou, but Christ live in thee ;" and for both alike was 
sung the sweet baptismal stanza — 

" The Saviour's blood and righteousness 
Our beauty is, our glorious dress ; 
Thus well arrayed, we will not fear 
When in his presence we appear." 



130 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

Such, my friends, are some of the points of interest which 
we have felt in this old Moravian mission. We have thus 
read, and thought we understood, at least in part, the secret 
of the Moravian influence and power in heathen lands. 
One of the darkest blots upon the page of our colonial his- 
tory was the legislative act by which this blessed work was 
hindered, and finally overthrown. We owe the tear of 
penitence to that false step ; and the best recompense which 
we can make is to revere the memory of men who thus 
unjustly suffered at our fathers' hands. 

Nor will we fail with heartfelt satisfaction to recall the 
fact that the Moravians, while they owed much of their 
ancient light to that great champion of the Church of Eng- 
land, and precursor of the blessed Reformation, Wickliffe, 
have ever found their warmest friends and advocates within 
the Church of England. The brave Comenius, worthy of 
all praise, hoping against hope, rested his final hope, as next 
to God, upon the Church of England. The missionary 
bands who first came forth into these western wilds under 
the Moravian banner were largely aided by the Church of 
England. The learned Archbishop Potter, the patron of 
Count Zinzendorf, was their counsellor and friend; and 
the missionary zeal which now pervades the Church of Eng- 
land, and which has achieved, of late, such glorious victo- 
ries of grace in heathen lands, was of cotemporary birth 
with the revived Moravian Church ; it owed its life to the 
same spiritual impulse. The Moravians and the Church of 
England are of kindred spirit ; they are of kindred origin ; 
they come not from the western cloud-land, the realm of 
spiritual darkness and corruption ; but they come, like the 
star of Bethlehem, from the glorious East, where the bright 
Sun of Righteousness arose, with healing in his wings, not 
from Rome, but from Jerusalem, not from the Latins, but 
from the Greeks. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 131 

The church of which I am a member and a minister, and, 
if I felt worthy of the name in such a presence, I would 
say missionary, the Protestant Episcopal Church, will rejoice 
in the dedication of this memorial — will gladly recog- 
nize, in this good work, an auspicious omen — will behold 
in it rich promise for the future, and will still extend a 
friendly hand to the Moravians, as to those who have a 
common origin, a common faith, a common hope, and are 
as one in the same bonds of Christian charity and love. 

The llev. Sylvester Wolle now read from the Moravian 
collection the 

SECOND LITANY AT BURIALS. 

Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Christ, have mercy upon us. 
Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Christ, hear us. 

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come ; 
thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven ; give us this day our daily bread; 
a, nl forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us: and 
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.; fur thine is the 'king- 
dom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Holy Father, accept us as thy children in thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who 
came forth from thee, and came into the world, was made flesh, and dwelt among 
us. took on him the form of a servant, and hath redeemed us, lost and undone 
human creatures, from all sin and from death, with his holy and precious blood, 
and with his innocent suffering and dying ; to the end that we should be his own, 
and in his kingdom live under him and serve him, in eternal righteousness, inno- 
cence, and happiness ; forasmuch as he, being risen from the dead, liveth and 
reigneth, world without end. Amen. 

Therefore, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth ; yea, 
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors. 

Whosoever liveth and believeth in Christ shall never die ; for He is the Resur- 
rection and the Life, and went to prepare a place for us, and will come again, 
and receive us into himself, that where he is there we may be also. 

Meanwhile, none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself; for 
whether we live, we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the 
Lord ; whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's ; for to this end 
Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead 
and living. 



132 



MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 



Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such, the 
second death hath no power ; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ. 

death, where is thy sting ? grave, where is thy victory ? Thanks be to 
God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 



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We poor sinners pray, 

Hear us, gracious Lord and God. 

And keep us in everlasting fellowship with the church triumphant, and let us 
rest together in thy presence from our labors. Amen. 

We desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better ; we shall never 
taste death ; and we shall attain unto the resurrection of the dead ; for the body, 
which we shall put off, this grain of corruptibility, shall put on incorniption ; 
our flesh shall rest in hope. 

The Father and the Son, who quicken whom they will, and the Spirit of Him 
who raised up Jesus from the dead will also quicken these our mortal bodies, if 
so be that the Spirit of God hath dwelt in them. 

Glory be to Him who is the Resurrection and the Life. He was dead, and 
behold he liveth for evermore. And he that believeth in Him, though he were 
dead, yet shall he live. 

Glory be to Him in the church that waiteth for Him. and in that which is 
around Him, for ever and ever. Amen. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 



133 



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the Holy Ghost, be with us all. Amen. 

The Rev. Edwin T. Senseman next addressed the assembly 
in these words : — 



10 



134 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 



ADDRESS OF REV. MR. SEXSEMAX. 

We have met at this consecrated spot for the purpose of 
dedicating a monument to the memory of one of the most 
devoted Christian missionaries to the ahorigines of this 
country. It is a duty which we believe we owe to him, 
whose mortal remains lie mouldering in the tomb around 
which we have met. We would celebrate his virtues, grate- 
fully remember his toils, and give evidence to those who 
come after us that, though our generation may not boast of 
a Christian heroism and self-denial equal to that which 
was so gloriously illustrated in the lives and labors of our 
forefathers a century ago, we still can and do appreciate 
their virtues, and are anxious to point them out to our 
children, for their encouragement in well-doing. 

Gottlob Biittner, whose remains lie buried at this spot, 
and in whose memory we have erected this appropriate 
monument, was indeed a most devoted and successful 
minister and missionary of Christ. A brief account of his 
life will be appropriate here. 

He was born in Silesia, now a province of Prussia, on 
Dec. 29, 1716, O. S. He became acquainted with the 
Brethren at their settlements of Marienborn, Herrnhaag, 
and Herrnhut. After having joined the church, and ex- 
pressed his desire to serve his Lord in the conversion of 
the Indians of North America, he was despatched to the 
New World. He came to America with the Brethren 
Pyrlaeus and Zander, and arrived on our shores in October 
of 1741. He was at first, for a short season, spiritual 
adviser of the single Brethren at Bethlehem, Penna., next 
preached to the Lutherans, at Tulpehocken and the neigh- 
borhood, and finally was appointed to labor among the Mo- 
hican Indians, at Shekomeko. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 135 

In January of 1742, Biittner, by appointment of Count 
Zinzendorf, who had meanwhile arrived in Pennsylvania, 
visited Shekomeko, where the missionary Rauch had been 
laboring for more than a year among the Indians, with very 
great success. Biittner remained ten days, and was asto- 
nished at the effect of Divine grace upon the hearts of the 
wild Indians. On January 14th, he preached his first ser- 
mon at this place, upon the text (Col. i. 13), "He hath 
delivered us from the power of darkness." 

The object of this, his first visit to Shekomeko was to 
invite and accompany Rauch to the Synod of the Church, 
which was held that year at Oley, Pennsylvania. They 
took with them three Indian converts, who were baptized 
at Oley, and received the names of Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob. The interesting ceremony of the baptism of these 
first fruits from among the Mohicans was performed by 
Rauch, at the close of the sessions of the Synod, after he 
and Biittner had been solemnly ordained to the Christian 
ministry by Bishops Nitschman and Zinzendorf. 

Before finally leaving Bethlehem for his next field of 
labor, he was married by Count Zinzendorf, on Sept. 14, 
1742, to Margaretta, third daughter of John Bechtel, of 
Germantown. Soon after, he set out with his wife, on 
horseback, for Shekomeko. On their route, they passed 
through Dansbury (now Stroudsburgh), Monroe County, 
Penna., thence along the west banks of the Delaware and 
Hudson, and crossed the latter at Rhinebeck, which was 
a rendezvous of the Brethren, and where several families 
belonging to the faith resided. At Shekomeko, they were 
received with great cordiality by Rauch and his Indian 
converts. Both missionaries now preached with zeal, in 
English and Dutch, while two of the converted Indians, 
John and Jonathan, interpreted their discourses to the 
assembled congregation, with great power and effect. The 



136 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

Indians from the neighboring towns began to flock to 
Shekomeko, and were so eager for the word of God that it 
almost seemed as if they could not be satisfied. 

But before we proceed in our narrative of Biittner's 
labors, it seems requisite to give a brief account of the work 
which had been accomplished by Christian Henry Rauch 
at this place, previous to his arrival, llauch had landed in 
New York in July, 1740, and immediately made inquiries 
concerning the neighboring Indian tribes. His intentions 
of bringing the Gospel to the red men of the forest seemed 
a fruitless and thankless enterprise to such Christian friends 
in New York as he became acquainted with, and whom he 
consulted. As, however, he was informed that a deputa- 
tion of Mohicans was at that time in the city, he at once 
went in search of them. He found them so intoxicated, 
and so wild and uncouth in appearance, that he must have 
received but little encouragement for his enterprise. But 
he remembered that it was for such, just such poor and 
wretched sinners that he had left his home, and traversed 
the ocean. He had several interviews with them, and on 
one occasion, when not intoxicated, with great gravity, they 
gave him a formal call to become their minister. 

The Indians left New York before him, but he soon fol- 
lowed, and arrived safely at their village of Shekomeko, 
near the Stissick Mountains, on the confines of the province 
of Connecticut. He at once stated his object in coming to 
reside among them, namely : That, " constrained by love, 
he had come to tell them the God, their great Creator, had, 
out of love for them, become man, lived some thirty years 
on earth, had done much good, and had finally allowed him- 
self to be nailed to a cross, on which he had shed his blood 
and died, that men might be saved from their sins through 
his merits, and become the heirs of everlasting life ; that 
soon after, he had arisen from the dead and ascended to 



AND CONNECTICUT. 137 

heaven, where he sitteth upon the throne of his glory, yet 
is with his children always, though they see him not, and 
seeks to do them good," etc. Though the Indians listened 
with great attention, this message soon became ridiculous 
in their eyes, and they only made sport of him. Among 
them there was one named Tschoop, who was notorious for 
his drunkenness and kindred vices. Him God's spirit first 
arrested, and he was savingly converted unto Christ. Others 
soon followed, who were all baptized and added to the 
Christian church. A very extraordinary awakening was 
the result, in the midst of which Buttner arrived. He im- 
mediately, with his whole heart, entered into the work, and 
the glorious fruit of God's Spirit became abundant. 

We, of this generation, read with astonishment the 
accounts of this and similar great awakenings among the 
Indians a century ago. There never was a savage people 
who could be more readily reached by the Gospel, and we 
believe that, if this great work had been permitted to pro- 
gress without interruption, and had been carried further by 
the missionaries with the same zeal and diligence with 
which it was begun,' the North American Indian tribes 
might now constitute a great and powerful nation, adorned 
with all the arts of civilized life, and forming an important 
portion of the free and enlightened citizens of our great 
American confederacy. The Indians are said to be unfit 
for civilized life ; they may be, but their civilized neighbors 
have made them so. Their present gloomy prospects are 
not so much a result of their own stubborn vices as of the 
supreme selfishness of the whites. The Indians have given 
many examples of true greatness, even when misdirected ; 
they have produced such warriors as Philip and Tecumseh, 
whose daring deeds rival the military prowess of America's 
most gifted generals, and such Christians as Tschoop, of 
whom Bishop Spangenberg said, that in his mien was the 



138 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

majesty of a Luther; a man whose mind grasped, as by 
intuition, the glorious mysteries of the Gospel of Christ, 
and whose strength of will, inspired and sanctified by Chris- 
tianity, at once triumphed over the vilest passions and most 
hideous vices by which the human heart can be deformed. 

But to return to Biittner. He and his wife both taught 
the Indians, the language employed by them for this pur- 
pose being the Dutch. As soon as he had fully entered 
upon his work, he became the leading spirit among the mis- 
sionaries. He seems to have been remarkably well qualified 
for the arduous work to which the Lord had appointed him. 
His superiority gave no offence, as he at once won all hearts 
by his kindness and the warmth of his Christian affection. 
He was greatly beloved by Zinzendorf, the missionaries 
generally, and, perhaps, more than all by the Indians them- 
selves. 

But, though the Lord blessed his and his brethren's 
labors, some of their white neighbors, nominally Christian, 
opposed and thwarted them by every means within their 
power. If we read with astonishment of the results of the 
Gospel upon the Indians, we read with no less astonish- 
ment of the frantic and iniquitous opposition of the whites 
to this great Gospel work. This portion of mission history 
we can only account for by the known selfishness and de- 
pravity of human nature. The whites were accustomed to 
turn the vices of the Indians to their own pecuniary profit. 
When the introduction of Christianity was bidding fair to 
banish these vices, the occupation of many of the surround- 
ing white people was endangered. Such was principally 
the case in reference to the use of intoxicating drinks by 
the Indians. Though the moral reformation of the Indians 
would eventually have vastly benefited both races, the ava- 
ricious and unprincipled whites were not able to see this. 
Their eyes were holden to their own true interests, as is 



AND CONNECTICUT. 139 

always the case when men give way to evil principles and 
unrighteous practices for purposes of gain. The ears of the 
people were filled, by their artful enemies, with erroneous 
and absurd reports concerning the missionaries. They 
were accused of being Jesuits in disguise, who were pre- 
paring, in case of a war with the French, to array their 
Indian followers in hostility to the English. The people 
became greatly alarmed ; many armed themselves ; and the 
farmers in the country tied to the towns ; the civil authori- 
ties were urged to interfere ; and, although the officers of 
the law were fully convinced of the innocence of the Breth- 
ren, still they deemed it prudent to institute a rigid exami- 
nation into their conduct. The various examinations in 
Poughkeepsie and New York, and elsewhere, to which the 
Brethren were subjected, annoyed them much, and greatly 
hindered them in their work. Although the Christian 
Indians remained faithful to their teachers, other Indians 
became suspicious ; and the work of evangelization was 
rendered more and more difficult. During these times of 
trouble, Biittner seems to have been regarded by his Breth- 
ren as their leader and counsellor. The missionaries, whose 
number had been increased by accessions from Europe, re- 
mained faithful to their principles, and diligent in their 
work, braving the vengeance of their enemies with true 
Christian fortitude. They returned not evil for evil, and 
were willing to conform fully to the laws of the land so far 
as these did not come in conflict with their duty to God and 
his children. The conscientious scruples which the Mora- 
vian Brethren entertained against the performance of mili- 
tary duty and the taking of oaths was turned to an evil 
account by their enemies. They were summoned to render 
military service, and, when on examination, were called on 
to give testimony on oath. They demurred ; and a fresh 
occasion for false accusation against them was obtained. 



140 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

Biittner seems to have been so much respected that, on an 
occasion of a visit of the justice of the peace, the examina- 
tion of the missionaries was postponed, because he was 
absent at Bethlehem. After various attempts to implicate 
the Brethren in unlawful designs had utterly failed, the 
Governor was appealed to, and the Brethren Biittner and 
Senseman from Shekomeko, and Shaw from Bethlehem, 
were summoned to appear in New York. They had several 
hearings ; and their depositions are still on record. The 
final declaration of Biittner is remarkable for its frankness, 
clearness, humility, and yet unalterable decision. We give 
it, although in an imperfect translation from the German of 
Loskiel : — 

"We are subject to God and the powers that be, which 
we will not oppose ; we would rather suffer. Besides, our 
cause is the cause of God, who is Lord over all. For his 
sake have we settled among the Indians, in order to make 
them acquainted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Money, 
land, and other property has not been our object, and will 
never be. Our Lord has helped us hitherto, and will help 
us in the future. We are in his hand, and certainly believe 
that no harm will befall us, except by His permission. From 
Him we have learned to be subject to the powers that have 
the rule over us, not from policy, but for conscience sake. 
Hitherto, we have led a quiet and peaceable life, in all god- 
liness and honesty, and desire to do so hereafter. But we 
are fully determined rather to suffer affliction than to act 
against our conscience, and therefore beg your Excellency 
not to oblige us to make oath, but to remember that we are 
a poor people, who suffer whatever is imposed, but who are 
at the same time cared for by God, who rules over all men's 
consciences. Besides, we beg not to be hindered in the 
blessed work of saving souls. We promise your Excellency 



AND CONNECTICUT. 141 

all due respect and obedience, which we are willing to ren- 
der for conscience sake." 

After being detained for several days, the missionaries 
were ordered to leave the country. The Governor, how- 
ever, commuted this sentence, and suffered them to return 
to Shekomeko, charging them not to apply their religious 
principle so as to arouse suspicion. He likewise gave them 
a passport by which they might be able to avoid all annoy- 
ance on the way, or at home. 

This persecution did not, however, end here. Biittner 
and his brethren were subsequently summoned to Pough- 
keepsie. He was prevented by sickness from attending; 
and Rauch and Mack went without him. Here, an act of 
the Assembly of New York, which was directed against 
them personally, and by which they were banished the 
province if they were not willing to take an oath of alle- 
giance, was read to them. Allegiance they were willing to 
promise at once, but refused the oath. They were there- 
fore obliged to prepare for their departure. About this 
time, Bishop Spangenberg visited Shekomeko, which com- 
forted and encouraged the missionaries and their Indian 
brethren greatly. 

Jonathan and Jonas, two Indian converts, had meanwhile 
departed from the Lord, and became separated from the 
church. Biittner followed them with tender solicitude, and 
actually succeeded in restoring them to the Lord and his 
people. But this was the last service which he rendered 
the cause of his divine Lord and Master. He had been 
suffering for a long time of a pulmonary complaint, and 
was subject to hemorrhage of the lungs, which became more 
frequent in consequence of the arduous journeys he had been 
obliged to make when attending the examination, instituted 
by the Government, into the affairs of the mission. His 
infirmities rapidly increased ; and he and his brethren soon 



142 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

became convinced that he was fast sinking into the grave. 
The Lord, whom he ardently loved and devotedly served, 
did not tarry long, but soon came to his relief. On Feb- 
ruary 23d, 1745, surrounded by his brethren, he departed in 
peace and joy. Before his departure, he'solemnly addressed 
the Indians who stood weeping around his dying couch, 
and besought them, with all the energy of a heart fully 
realizing the great salvation, to remain faithful to the Sa- 
viour unto the end. Upon his request, they sang hymns 
treating of the death of the righteous, until, during the sing- 
ing of one most suitable to the dying moments of the Chris- 
tian warrior, he sank peacefully to rest. That scene may 
not be described. Those weather-beaten, bronzed faces 
that looked upon his closing eyes and lovely countenance, 
beaming with joy, as it settled into the repose of the last 
long slumber, death, indicated unutterable tenderness and 
true Christian affection. Those dark, piercing eyes, which, 
in the former times of their savage resentment, flashed like 
angry lightning, were now filled with tears, that rolled in 
torrents adown their swarthy cheeks. Their uncontrollable 
emotions testified that they felt they had lost a friend sent 
them by God, and, in the first burst of grief, they may well 
have imagined that they had almost been left alone on earth. 
They wept over the remains of their glorified teacher like 
orphaned children over an affectionate mother. With holy 
awe and reverence, they prepared his body for the tomb, 
clothed it in white, and with tears bore it to this conse- 
crated spot, where they consigned it to the tomb. Here 
they often met, recounted his self-denying labors, and re- 
peated his words of heavenly wisdom. On his tombstone 
which his brethren placed over his grave, and which is still 
extant, is the inscription printed on the 57th page of this 
work. 

For more than a century have his remains here lain 



AND CONNECTICUT. 143 

mouldering in the tomb, awaiting the trumpet sound of the 
angel who will announce the great resurrection. His 
brethren have well-nigh forgotten his place of sepulture, 
and we owe it principally to my excellent friend who pre- 
ceded me that his 'last resting-place on earth has been dis- 
covered. Were his glorified spirit now permitted to revisit 
the consecrated scenes of his noble life and martyr-death, 
his humility would scarcely permit him to approve of the 
solemnities of this day, nor would he ask for any other 
monument but that which was afforded by God's record on 
high. Our gratitude and affection have, however, brought 
us together for the purpose of dedicating this monument, 
not because we believe we may add to his deserved fame, 
but, rather, that the remembrance of his Christian faithful- 
ness and fortitude may animate us and our children to go 
and do likewise. 

These brief reminiscences of this heroic soldier of Jesus 
Christ constitute the best eulogium that can be pronounced 
over his grave. We will add but a few words. Buttner 
was evidently a man in earnest. He had fully, for life, em- 
barked in the great Christian warfare. He could not be 
drawn from his purpose. He possessed a clear mind and 
strong spirit, which were never for a moment disarmed by 
the pressure of hostility or the enervation of bodily infirmity. 
Love for God and man was his most striking characteristic, 
and this gave him his power to influence and subdue. He 
was one of the humblest of men, but in his humility there 
were power and grandeur. In his speech before the Go- 
vernor, in New York, he appeared as an humble suppliant 
for permission to remain among his dear Indians, but cou- 
pled with his humility, there was the commanding majesty 
and authority of the ambassador of the King of kings. He 
was brave, because he knew that He that was for him was 
greater than he that was against him. He led in the coun- 



144: MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

sel of his brethren, because he enjoyed their full confidence. 
He died as he lived, in the strength and love of God his 
Saviour, and was mourned over by simple hearts, as few 
great or even good men have been mourned for. 

We stand on holy ground. We commemorate, on this 
day, the virtues of a noble ancestry. We are carried back, 
in spirit, to the scenes of their triumphs of which these 
pleasant valleys were witness more than a century ago. 
The hills which echoed back those venerable songs of Zion 
which Indian voices then made resound, have again, on this 
day, been moved, and their memories of ancient days recalled 
by the old, familiar Moravian melodies, and though our 
Christian brethren of other churches may now be called to 
labor among a civilized race, where our fathers toiled for 
the conversion of the wild Mohican, it still affords us and 
them intense gratification here to meet to day, to perform 
an holy act of reverence and affection, in memory of a noble 
man, an eminent Christian, and a most successful ambas- 
sador of Christ to sinful men. 

The following stanza was next sung, according to Old 
Hundred : — 

"Amen, thou Sovereign God of Love, 
Oh, grant that, when we hence remove, 
Our souls, redeemed with thy blood, 
May find in Thee their sure abode." 

And the trombonists having performed, as follows, one of 
the favorite chorals at burials, the assembly dispersed. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 



145 



Tune 83. 




On Thursday morning, at half-past eight, the Committee, 
attended by numerous friends, set out from Pine Plains for 
Northeast Centre. During the night, the wind had shifted 
to the north, and it blew almost a gale as the carriages 
denied in procession under the stately buttonwood that 
shelters the hospitable farm-house of Mr. Samuel Deuel. 
The road led over a highly picturesque country, in part 
the same that had been travelled on the first day from the 
Millerton Station to Shekomeko. At ten o'clock, the party 
reached Mr. Douglas Clarke's, on whose lands is the site 
of the Wechquadnach Mission. 

Having here partaken of a cold collation, the procession 
formed in the same order as on the previous day, and led by 



146 



MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 



the trombonists, who performed the following choral, moved 
to the grave of Joseph Powell. Mr. Clarke, a venerable 
man of eighty, with staff in hand, led the way. The grave 
is marked by the original headstone, that has been firmly 
set into a protruding ledge near by. Around this the com- 
pany gathered, and joined in the service of the "First 
Litany for Burials," from the Moravian collection, read by 
the Rev. Sylvester Wolle. 



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AND CONNECTICUT. 147 



FIRST LITANY AT BURIALS. 

Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Christ, have mercy upon us. 
Lord, have mercy upon us. 

Ch rist, hear us. 

Lord God, our Father, which art in heaven, 

Hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done in earth, as it is 
in heaven ; give us this day our daily bread ; and forgive us our trespasses, as 
we forgive them that trespass against us ; and lead us not into temptation, but 
deliver us from evil ; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, 
for ever and ever. Amen. 

Lord God, Son, thou Saviour of the world, 
Be gracious unto us. 

By thy human birth, 

By thy prayers and tears, 

By all the troubles of thy life, 

By the grief and anguish of thy soul, 

By thine agony and bloody sweat, 

By thy bonds and scourgings, 

By thy crown of thorns, 

By thine ignominious crucifixion, 

By thy sacred wounds and precious blood, 

By thy atoning death, 

By thy rest in the grave, 

By thy glorious resurrection and ascension, 

By thy sitting at the right hand of God, 

By thy divine presence, 

By thy coming again to the church on earth, or our being called home to thee, 

Bless and comfort us, gracious Lord and God. 

Lord God, Holy Ghost, 

Abide with us forever. 

I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord ; he that believeth in me, 
though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in 
me shall never die. 

Therefore, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth ; yea, 
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors. 

death, where is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy victory ? The sting of 
death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks be to God. which 
giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 



148 



MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 



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We j50or sinners pray, 

Hear us, gracious Lord and God ; 

A.nd keep us in everlasting fellowship with the church triumphant, and let us 
rest together in thy presence from our labors. Amen. 

None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself; for whether we live, 
we live unto the Lord, and whether we die, we die unto the Lord ; whether we 
live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's : for to this end Christ both died, and 
rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. 

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection : on such the 
second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ. 

Glory be to Him who is the Resurrection and the Life, who quickeneth us, 
while in this dying state, and after we have obtained the true life, doth not suffer 
us to die any more. 

Glory be to Him in the church which waiteth for Him, and in that which is 
around Him, for ever and ever. Amen. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 



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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God, and the communion of 
the Holy Ghost be with us all. Aram. 

On the conclusion of the brief ceremony, the party set 
out for the grave of David Bruce, on the east side of 
"Indian Pond," in the town of Sharon, Conn. It was 
deemed unsafe to cross the water in boats. Some of the 
number followed the footpath along the base of the moun- 
tain ; others, driving, took the road that leads around the 
right shore to the outlet, and to the farm-house of Mr. 
Andrew Lake. Here the procession formed as on the 
previous occasions, and, amid the music of trombones, 
moved to the Wechquadnach burial ground, and to the 
monument that bears the name of those who, a century 
11 



150 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

ago, labored in this vicinity among Indians and whites. On 
a rocky ledge overlooking the beautiful sheet of water called 
by the early Brethren " Lake of Grace," stands the snow- 
white memorial of two of their colleagues. The site is not 
only commanding, but peculiarly appropriate, as the pro- 
spect it affords embraces the entire region of country in 
which the Moravians carried on their missionary work, as 
far south as the hills of Pachgatgoch to Kent. 

On approaching the meadow in which the ceremonies 
were to be held, there were indications of a numerous 
gathering. Along the Sharon road, carriage was seen fol- 
lowing carriage, and already the lane and orchard near by 
were full of vehicles. Hundreds of human beings were 
collected about the monument, and hundreds seated along 
the ledges and sunny slopes with which the rugged spot is 
diversified. It was altogether a scene of varied forms, and 
coloring, and life, that bespoke an extraordinary occasion, 
and has left an indelible impression on the minds of all who 
witnessed it. The wind blew fresh from the north, whirling 
the withered leaves from the tree tops, and roughening the 
bosom of the lake with white-crested waves ; and so bois- 
terous did it grow, that it was inexpedient to assemble 
immediately about the monument. A southerly slope near 
by afforded protection from the elements, and here the wor- 
shippers gathered to recall the labors of the dead, and to 
meditate on the bliss which is the portion of those who 
have died in the Lord. Tier on tier of anxious listeners 
were seated to the very top of the little amphitheatre, and 
among these were swarthy faces, a handful of survivors of 
the doomed race that once was lord of the soil. They were 
Sharon Indians, who had come to hear what had transpired 
when their forefathers dwelt along the borders of "Indian 
Pond." Half-way down the acclivity stood the speakers 
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AND CONNECTICUT. 151 

hundred spectators, who, standing below in a compact 
crowd, or seated in wagons, listened with deep attention 
to the services that had called them together. The Rev. 
Frederick Sill, of New York, opened the exercises in the 
following words : — 

MR. SILL'S ADDRESS. 

My Christian Brethren and friends : It is with no ordi- 
nary feelings that I now rise in my place to address you 
on this most interesting occasion. It is an occasion both 
rare and pleasing in itself considered, for distinguished 
brethren from a distance have come into this historic locality, 
not for the purpose of shedding bitter tears over the new- 
made graves of those who had recently fallen ; not for the 
purpose of lamenting the loss of beloved objects of an 
affectionate interest, whose places could not be filled, and 
who were considered, perhaps, the right men for the right 
place ; but they have come for the purpose of reviving pre- 
cious memories — to call to recollection and to pass in review 
the labors, the zeal, and the faith exhibited in the lives of 
those who, like the Apostles of our blessed Lord, counted 
not their lives dear unto themselves, so that they might 
finish their course with joy, and the ministry which they 
had received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the 
grace of God." I deem it a high privilege, my Christian 
brethren and friends, to participate in the smallest degree 
in these most interesting exercises ; and on my own behalf, 
I desire to thank the Moravian Historical Society, and the 
Shekomeko Literary Association, for the same, as well as 
for the courtesy extended to the church in which I minister 
by the grace of God. 

My address, however, being of an introductory character, 
it will not be expected that I present in detail the rise and 
establishment of the venerable missionary society under 
whose auspices we are here gathered; nor to recount the 



152 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

many incidents in the lives of those who, having long since 
finished their course in faith, do now rest from their labors. 

And yet there may be embodied, in these remarks, some 
of those views which may tend to impress our minds with 
the general character of the missionary work ; but before 
proceeding to its consideration, it may be well to observe, 
by way of illustration, that, in its general features, it has 
been the same in every age, viz : one of toil, exposure, and 
privation, with alternate expressions of hope and despond- 
ency, cheerfulness and gravity, love and charity. Nor should 
the missionary work in our country be viewed in some of 
its features now, as it appeared rising of a century since ; 
for, since then, the whole scene has changed. At that time, 
instead of a Christian civilization, resulting from missionary 
labor with the help of God, nought was perceived but a 
moral desolation. 

Instead of comparative safety on the bosom of the mighty 
deep in a Great Eastern, with its immense proportions, 
its magnificent saloons, its ample provision, and its stately 
machinery, a great risk and exposure were consequent on a 
voyage, costing upwards of a hundred pounds, while not a 
few precious lives were lost to the world and the church in 
the vain attempt to reach these shores. Now there is some- 
thing in the great work of Christ and the Church which 
impels one onward in its accomplishment. It constrains 
men to act for the good of souls, to consecrate themselves, 
and to devote their time, talents, energies and means to the 
service of Jesus. While in themselves considered, the 
ministers of Christ are frail mortals, and subject, of course, 
to the infirmities and vicissitudes of a common humanity ; 
yet it not unfrequently happens that the means made use 
of by them prove mighty, through God, to the pulling down 
of the strongholds of sin, Satan, and death, and in restoring 
man to the image and favor of his Maker. And oh, my 



AND CONNECTICUT. 153 

Christian brethren and friends, what pen can describe, or 
what eloquence depict, the emotions of the heart of a faith- 
ful missionary, as he perceives the light moving in upon a 
dark and illiterate mind, in process of renovation, and listens 
to expressions of penitence for sin, and faith or belief in 
Christ Jesus, as the Saviour of the world. 

Oh, there is something, and I speak both from experience 
and observation on this subject, which amply repays the 
ardent and devoted missionary, as the mist and darkness 
attendant upon sin gradually disappear, and the bright 
beams of the Sun of Righteousness are brought to bear upon 
the renovated mind, infusing joy and life divine. Well is 
it, then, that we have gathered with fond and loving hearts 
to commemorate the faith and the deeds of the faithful 
departed, to recount their labors, and to excite in each other 
a spirit of gratitude and praise, not only for the goodly 
heritage we enjoy as the result of the labors and sufferings 
of our fathers, but to separate with the firm resolve that, 
" Neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities and 
powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height, 
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall ever be able to 
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus 
our Lord." 

Again thanking my respected brethren for the honor con- 
ferred upon me, and not wishing to detain you longer from 
listening to a more special and particular detail of the 
ministry and death of the eminent missionary whose sacred 
ashes you now carefully protect in your midst, I hasten to 
give way to my reverened brother, who will now address 
you on these points, with the earnest hope that these inte- 
resting reminiscences will lead us in our turn to be active, 
zealous, and self-denying in the cause of Jesus, and to do 
all that lies in our power for the advancement of His glory, 
the good of His church, and the welfare of His people. 



154 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

Bishop Wolle next read the 

EASTER MORNING LITAXY. 

I believe in the One only God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who created all 
things by Jesus Christ, and was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. 

I believe in God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has chosen us in 
him before the foundation of the world ; 

"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us 
into the kingdom of his dear Son ; 

"Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ ; 

Who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in 
light : having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to 
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of 
his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved. 
This I verily believe. 

We thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid 
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes : 
even so, Father ; for so it seemed good in thy sight. 

Father, glorify thy name. 

Oar Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; 
thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; 
and forgive us oar trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us; and 
lead us not into temptation, bid deliver us from evil : for thine is the kingdom, 
and the poxoer, and the glory, for ever and ever: Amen. 

I believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God, by whom are all things, 
and we through him ; 

I believe, that he was made flesh, and dwelled among us ; and took on him 
the form of a servant ; 

By the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, was conceived of the Virgin Mary; 
as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took 
part of the same ; was born of a woman ; 

And being found in fashion as a man, was tempted in all points like as we are, 
yet without sin : 

For he is the Lord, the Messenger of the covenant, whom we delight in. The 
Lord and his Spirit hath sent him to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord : 

He spoke that which he did know, and testified that which he had seen : as 
many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. 

Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 

Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried ; 

The third day rose again from the dead, and with him many bodies of the 
saints which slept ; 

Ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the throne of the Father ; whence he 
will come, in like manner as he was seen going into heaven. 

t. 58. p. 2- Amen, come, Lord Jesus ; come we implore thee : 
AVith longing hearts we now are waiting for thee : 
Come soon, come. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 155 

The Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch- 
angel, and with the trump of God, to judge Loth the quick and the dead. 

This is my Lord, who redeemed me, a lost and undone human creature, pur- 
chased and gained me from sin, from death, and from the power of the devil ; 

Not with gold or silver, but with his holy precious blood, and with his inno- 
cent suffering and dying ; 

To the end that I should be his own, and in his kingdom live under him and 
serve him, in eternal righteousness, innocence, and happiness ; 

So as he, being risen from the dead, liveth and reigneth, world without end. 
This I most certainly believe. 

I believe in the Holy Ghost, who proceedeth from the Father, and whom our 
Lord Jesus Christ sent, after he went away, that he should abide with us for 
ever; 

That he should comfort us, as a mother comforteth her children ; 

That he should help our infirmities, and make intercession for us with groan- 
ings which cannot be uttered ; 

That he should bear witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God, 
and teach us to cry, Abba, Father ; 

That he should shed abroad in our hearts the love of God, and make our 
bodies his holy temple ; 

And that he should work all in all, dividing to every man severally as he will. 

To him be glory in the church, which is in Christ Jesus, the holy universal 
Christian church, in the communion of saints, at all times, and from eternity to 
eternity. Amen. 

I believe, that by my own reason and strength, I cannot believe in Jesus 
Christ my Lord, or come to him ; 

But that the Holy Ghost palleth me by the gospel, enlighteneth me with his 
gifts, sanctifieth and preserveth me in the true faith ; 

Even as he calleth, gathereth, enlighteneth, and sanctifieth the whole church 
on earth, which he keepeth by Jesus Christ in the only true faith; 

In which Christian church, God forgiveth me and every believer all sin daily 
and abundantly. 

This I assuredly believe. 

I believe, that by holy baptism I am embodied as a member of the church of 
Christ, which he hath loved, and for which he gave himself, that he might sanc- 
tify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. Amen. 

In this communion of saints my faith is placed upon my Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ, who died for us, and shed his blood on the cross for the remission 
of sins, and who hath granted unto me his body and blood in the Lord's Supper, 
as a pledge of grace ; as the Scripture saith, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same 
night in which he was betrayed, took bread : and when he had given thanks, he 
brake it, and gave it to kis«disciples, and said, Take, eat : this is my body which 
is given for you; this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also, 
our Lord Jesus Christ, when he had supped, took the cup, gave thanks, and 



156 



MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 



crave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; this is my blood, the blood of the 
New Testament, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins. 
This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. Amen. 

I have a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better ; I shall 
never taste death ; yea, I shall attain unto the resurrection of the dead : for the 
body which I shall put off, this grain of corruptibility, shall put on incorruption : 
my flesh shall rest in hope. 

And the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that 
great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 
shall also quicken these our mortal bodies, if so be that the Spirit of God haih 
dwelled in them. Amen. 

We poor sinners pray, 

Hear us, gracious Lord and God ; 

And keep us in everlasting fellowship with our brethren, and with our sisters, 
who have entered into the joy of the Lord ; 

Also with the servants and handmaids of our church, whom thou hast called 
home in the past year, and with the whole church triumphant ; and let us rest 
together in thy presence from our labors. Amen. 



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They are at rest in 

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AND CONNECTICUT. 157 

Glory be to Him who is the Resurrection and the Life; He was dead, and 
behold, He is alive for evermore ; And he that believeth in Him, though he were 
dead, yet shall he live. 

Glory be to Him in the church which waiteth for Him, and in that which is 

around Him ; for ever and ever. Amen; 

t. 151. p. 2. Grant us to lean unshaken 
Upon thy faithfulness, 
Until we hence are taken 
To see thee face to face. 

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God. and the communion 
of the Holy Ghost, be with us all. Amen. 

The Rev. Edmund de Schweinitz now addressed the 
audience as follows : — 

ADDRESS OF MR. DE SCHWEINITZ. 

We stand on ground over which roamed, a century and 
a quarter of a century ago, the Wampanoag and Mohican 
Indians of Wechquadnach and Pachgatgoch, remnants of 
once powerful tribes that had seen their day, and were fall- 
ing at the white man's approach, like the leaves of their 
native forests before the autumnal wind ; on ground where 
servants of the Most High God met this withered race, 
called its warriors brothers, told them that the Great 
Spirit above was man's common Father in heaven, and 
pointed out the way leading thither, which way is Christ. 
Pilgrims yesterday to the tomb of one of the most distin- 
guished of these heralds of the Gospel, we gather now around 
this second monument, which commemorates the fact that 
in this region another friend and teacher of the Indians 
finished his course and work ; and that after him, when the 
red man had passed away, an evangelist of the same house- 
hold of faith here told to the white settlers the story of 
redeeming love, until he too was gathered to his fathers. 

I think I may emphatically declare that we are come not 
in order to honor men, and glorify meek Moravian mission- 
aries, whose habit of thought and humility of character 



158 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

would have been startled at the bare idea of such a thing ; 
but in order to exalt a principle which in its origin is God- 
begotten, in its manifestation coeval with the glorious Gos- 
pel, and in its operations essential to the happiness of the 
human family and the evangelization of the world. Not in 
the spirit of the Scribes and Pharisees, therefore, when they 
builded the tombs of the prophets, and garnished the sepul- 
chres of the righteous, have we set up this monumental 
stone, and are we assembled here about it ; but rather in 
the spirit of the early Christians, who were wont to meet 
at the places where the confessors and martyrs slept, and 
magnify, in sacred song, and by narratives of what these 
had endured and accomplished, the name of the Lord, be- 
cause He had given to the church such champions of faith, 
and to the world such noble ensamples, of whom it was not 
worthy. 

In this spirit, then, now that our songs and hymns are 
risen to the praise of God, let me proceed to give you an 
account of the faith and labors of the two missionaries who 
are buried here, and on the other side of this lake. Having 
done this, the principle which we wish to exalt will be 
abundantly set forth, and recognized by us all. 

And first, by way of introduction, a few remarks respect- 
ing the establishment of the former mission in this neigh- 
borhood. 

The Moravian Brethren began their labors at Wechquad- 
nach and Pachgatgoch in 1741, simultaneously with those 
at Shekomeko, where we were yesterday. Two years later, 
a regular station having been organized at this latter place, 
the missionaries Mack, Senseman, Pyrlaeus, and Post 
statedly visited the Indians of "Wechquadnach and Pach- 
gatgoch, until the enterprise was intrusted to Mack, alone 
or at least chiefly, who took up his abode in the wigwam of 
the Captain of Pachgatgoch. In the same year (1743), the 



AND CONNECTICUT. 159 

first converts, six in number, were baptized in this village. 
At their head was the Captain himself, who received the 
name of Gideon. The others were Joshua (his son), 
Samuel, Amos, Maria, and Rachel, who subsequently be- 
came the wife of the missionary Post. This baptism took 
place on February 13th, and the converts were all of the 
Wampanoag nation. Gideon grew in grace and in the know- 
ledge of God, was an active and faithful assistant of the mis- 
sionaries, and preached the Gospel with great power among 
his people. It is related of him, by the historian Loskiel, 
that he was one day attacked by a savage Indian, who pre- 
sented a gun to his head, and called out : " Now I will 
shoot you, for you speak of nothing but Jesus !" Gideon 
answered : " If Jesus does not permit you, you cannot 
shoot me" — which answer so confounded the man that he 
dropped his gun, and went home in silence. Mack con- 
tinued to reside at Pachgatgoch, in a bark hut which he 
had meanwhile built for himself and wife. The same his- 
torian whom I mentioned a moment ago tells us that, while 
dwelling in this habitation, surrounded as it was on all 
sides by hills and rocks, Mack often called to mind the lines 
which the fathers of the ancient Brethren's Church, in 
Bohemia and Moravia, loved to sing when thrust from their 
homes and sanctuaries by the ruthless hand of persecu- 
tion : — 

" The rugged rocks, the dreary wilderness, 
Mountains, and woods are our appointed place ; 
'Midst storms and waves, on heathen shores unknown, 
We have our temple, and serve God alone." 

While the work at Pachgatgoch prospered in this manner, 
that at Wechquadnach did not remain without results. 
The first convert of this village who received baptism (as I 
find recorded in an old catalogue which once belonged to 



160 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

the well-known missionary John Hecke welder) was Kau- 
paas, named Timothy by the Brethren. This baptism took 
place at Shekomeko, August 4th, 1742. The second con- 
vert was Moses, baptized in December of the same year. 
Two years later, in 1744, on the 3d of June, the first bap- 
tism occurred in the village itself, Martha, Gideon's second 
wife, being the recipient. It appears that Mack and the 
missionaries from Shekomeko statedly visited Wechquad- 
nach. When the mission-house which once stood on the 
other side of the lake was built, I have not been able to 
discover. It bore the same beautiful name which the 
Brethren gave to that sheet of water, namely Gnadensee ; 
that is, " lake of grace." 

Such was the auspicious beginning of the mission among 
the aborigines of this region. About twenty converts from 
the two villages were baptized up to the spring of the year 
1744. But then an unexpected change came over the 
labors of the Brethren ; persecutions broke out against 
them ; they were calumniated as Papists and secret friends 
of the French. I will not give the details of this sad season 
of trial. Suffice it to say that, in the year 1745, the resi- 
dent missionaries were obliged to leave the province of New 
York ; and in the following year the Indian converts began 
to disperse. Some removed to Bethlehem in Pennsylvania ; 
others joined the army ; while those who remained were 
as sheep scattered abroad without a shepherd. It is true, 
the Brethren at Bethlehem sent heralds of the Gospel to 
them as often as possible ; and Gideon, Abraham and other 
native assistants continued to proclaim the Word of Life 
to their people ; but the records of those years plainly show 
that the work of grace had been effectually hindered, and 
that, among the baptized converts, more than one became 
careless of his Christian character. In this lamentable state, 
the Pachgatgoch and Wechquadnach mission continued 



AND CONNECTICUT. 161 

until 1748. In the autumn of that year, Bishop John cle 
Watteville and his wife — who was the oldest daughter of 
Count Zinzendorf, and six years before, as a young girl, had 
wandered with her father through the wildernesses of Penn- 
sylvania and New York to visit the Indians — arrived in 
America, on an official tour to the churches of the Breth- 
ren. One of the first works which Watte ville undertook 
was to go in search of the lost sheep at the former mission 
stations in this region. In the month of December, accom- 
panied by Bishop Cammerhof and Nathaniel Seidel, a cler- 
gyman of the church, he reached Wechquadnach and Pach- 
gatgoch, where most of the Indians were found either in the 
villages, or in their forest hunting-huts. With apostolical 
zeal, and demonstration of the Spirit and of power, these 
men of God renewed the work of the Gospel here, entreat- 
ing, warning, counselling, and imparting comfort, as the 
case might be, until a blessed revival of pure and undefiled 
religion took place among the Indians. Before the Breth- 
ren left, they had the great satisfaction of baptizing several 
new converts. This was the occasion for the recommence- 
ment of the Wechquadnach and Pachgatgoch mission ; and 
here is the place to introduce into my narrative the first of 
the two men to whose memory this monument has been 
erected. 

David Bruce 1 was born at Edinburgh, in Scotland, in 
what year is not known. At the close of 17-41, he came 
to this country, in company of Count Zinzendorf. He was 
originally a Scotch Presbyterian. How or when he became 

1 For the biographical notices of Bruce and Powell, the speaker was 
mainly indebted to the researches of his friend, Mr. "William C. Reichel, of 
Bethlehem. Other historical facts respecting; the mission at Wechquad- 
nach and Pachgatgoch are derived from original documents in the archives 
of the Moravian Churches at Philadelphia and Bethlehem. Yery little is 
found in the publications of the church concerning this particular mission. 



162 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

acquainted with the Moravian Brethren does not appear ; 
but that he had entered into the spirit of the Gospel work, 
as carried on by them, is evident. From his first arrival 
on these shores, he seems to have given himself up, soul 
and body, to the service of the Lord, in any and every 
capacity in which the Lord might see fit to use him. The 
seven and a half years of his life in America were the years 
of the life of an itinerant evangelist. He was ever ready 
to say : " Here am I, send me !" In the interests of the 
Gospel, like many other of the Brethren of that day, he 
had no will of his own. God's will Avas always his. Bruce's 
name stands enrolled among the eighty persons who formed 
the first regular Brethren's church in America. This church 
was organized by Count Zinzendorf, at Bethlehem, Penn- 
sylvania, and soon became the principal seat of the Mora- 
vians in this country. But Bruce did not belong to what 
was called " The Home Congregation" there. He was one 
of a band or class of four young men that had its place 
among " the Pilgrims," as they were denominated ; that is, 
such as itinerated in the country, and were expected, at any 
moment, to go forth even to distant regions, if souls could 
there be saved. In the same year in which the church at 
Bethlehem was organized, the Brethren resolved to begin 
an English church at Nazareth, ten miles to the north of 
Bethlehem ; and Bruce was appointed one of its elders. 
Whether he ever exercised the duties of this office, I do 
not know. Certain it is that, after six or seven weeks, the 
plan was abandoned again, and that Bruce, together with 
his wife (Stephen Benezet's daughter, of Philadelphia, 
whom he had married a few months before), had meanwhile 
accompanied Count Zinzendorf on his first visit to the 
Indian country. Returned to Bethlehem, Bruce, in the 
months of October and November, is found engaged in car- 
penter-work at a barn belonging to the church — so an old 



AND CONNECTICUT. 163 

record tells us — performing this labor also, amidst the ne- 
cessities of a new settlement, to the glory of God, in accord- 
ance with the simple faith of his brethren. Next, in the 
beginning of 17-43, we meet with him at Philadelphia. The 
Brethren had established a church there ; and the former 
parsonage, at the southeast corner of Race and Bread 
Streets, constituted the head-quarters for four or five, some- 
times six, itinerant evangelists and their families. Bruce 
took his turn regularly in preaching the Gospel in the city, 
and at a number of stations in the surrounding country. 
His name frequently occurs in the books of my church, at 
Philadelphia, until the end of the year 1744; after that, it 
disappears. In all probability, he now removed to Beth- 
lehem, and continued to itinerate from that place, some- 
times among the Indians, again among the English settlers 
at Dansbury (now Stroudsburg), and in other parts of 
eastern Pennsylvania. From a remark made by Bishop 
Watteville when announcing his death to the congregation 
at Bethlehem, I infer that Bruce, at this time, was par- 
ticularly active in sowing the good seed of the Word 
among the Delaware Indians of Pennsylvania. 

Such, then, was the nature of his labors, until the 
return of Watteville and his company from the forsaken 
stations of Wechquadnach and Pachgatgoch. Then a new 
sphere of action opened to Brnce, in which, had it been 
God's will to spare his life, he would no doubt have accom- 
plished great results. 

A synod of the Moravian Church in America convened 
at Bethlehem, under the presidency of Bishop de Watteville, 
on the 23d of January, 1 749. This synod resolved to reor- 
ganize the missions in the provinces of New York and 
Connecticut, and confirmed the appointment which Bruce 
had previously received from the elders, to undertake the 
work at Wechquadnach and Pachgatgoch. On the 3d of 



164 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

February, in company of the missionary Post, he set out 
for these stations. Post was to assist in the reorganization, 
but Bruce to remain as resident missionary, and to live at 
Wechquadnach, in the house on the lake. Such was the 
purport of their commission. Post returned to Bethlehem 
on the 28th of February, and reported that he and Bruce 
had found most of the Indians in their huts, glad to receive 
their new teacher, and anxious to hear from him the words 
of eternal life, and that Bruce had commenced his labors 
with great zeal. At the same time, he delivered to the 
elders a number of letters written by Indian converts, in 
which they expressed their joy at the arrival of Bruce. I 
have found copies of these letters in the archives of my 
church, at Philadelphia, and have brought one of them 
with me. Shall I read it, my friends ? or will it detain you 
too long] 

(Many voices: "Read it! read it!") 

THE LETTER. 

"Wechquadnach, February 10, 1749. 
"We, Abraham, 1 Moses, 3 and Jacob, and all the brethren and sisters, 
salute the whole Church, and are very glad and thankful that the Church 
has cared for us again, visited us, forgiven us all that has hitherto passed, 
and sent somebody to instruct and teach us. For we know that through 
this forgiveness many of us have been helped to rights, and set upon our 

1 Abraham was one of the first three converts from the Indians* a Mohican, bap- 
tized by Christian Rauch, at Oley, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, February 
12th, 1742. Jacob was another of these three converts, baptized at the same place 
and time. He belonged to the Wampanoag tribe, and died at Philadelphia, of the 
smallpox, in 1764, while the Christian Indians were confined there in the barracks 
to protect them from the Paxton Boys. He was buried in Potter's Field, where 
Washington Square now is. 

2 Moses was the second convert from Wechquadnach, a Mohican, baptized De- 
cember 23d, 1742, by Martin Mack. 

The notices in these foot-notes respecting the Indians mentioned in the letter, are 
all derived from the Catalogue of Baptisms, referred to in the address, and kindly 
lent the speaker by Miss Heckewelder, of Bethlehem, daughter of the celebrated 
missionary. Miss Heckewelder was the first white child born in the State of Ohio. 



AXD CONNECTICUT. 165 

feet again. Therefore are we glad, and salnte the brethren and sisters at 
Bethlehem ; therefore we brethren and sisters pray that our Saviour may 
wash us in his blood, and make us obedient from the bottom of our hearts; 
for we thought we should never more, in all our lives, have any one from 
the Brethren's church among us. We therefore desire our brethren and 
sisters at Bethlehem to pray for us. We will also pray to our Saviour 
with our whole hearts, and do our utmost to remain steadfast in the faith 
in his meritorious death. 

"Joshua's 1 grandmother salutes him heartily, and is very glad that his 
sister 2 was baptized at Bethlehem. And I 3 am very glad that the mission- 
aries show us the plain and straight way to our Saviour ; and I salute 
Brother Joseph 1 and mother Spangenberg ; and we brethren and sisters 
wish that where the Brethren live we may live also; for, so long as we had 
no teachers, we could not say that we loved the Brethren ; but now we feel 
that we love them. Sarah 5 salutes Brother Joseph and Mother Spangen- 
berg, Brother Cammerhoff and Sister Cammerhoff, and all the brethren and 
sisters at Bethlehem, Gnadenhuetten, Nazareth, and in all the churches. 
Our Sister Rachel 6 does the like ; our Sister Abigail 7 the like ; Bartholo- 
mew's 8 mother the like ; our Sister Miriam 9 the like ; our Sister Esther 10 
the like. 

"Brother Jephthah 11 salutes the Brethren Joseph, Cammerhoff, John, 13 

1 Son of Gideon, Captain of Pachgatgoch, baptized February 13th, 1743, at Pach- 
gatgoch, by Biittner. 

2 This was Christina, baptized at Bethlehem, January 24th, 1749, by Bishop 
Cainnierhof. 

3 Abraham. 4 Bishop Spangenberg. 

5 Sarah was the wife of Abraham, of the Wampanoag nation, baptized August 
11th, 1742, at Shekomeko, by Christian Rauch. 

6 Rachel was the wife of Jacob, one of the writers of the letter, of the Mohican 
nation, baptized December 23d, 1742, at Shekomeko. 

7 Abigail, a Mohican, was the wife of Sangschoacha, and daughter of Abraham's 
brother, baptized June 26th, 1743, at Shekomeko, by Buttner. 

8 Bartholomew was a Wampanoag. His father's name was Apowachenaut. 

9 Miriam was the wife of Moses, one of the writers of this letter, baptized De- 
cember 23d, 1742, at Shekomeko, by Buttner. 

10 Esther was probably the daughter of Hannah, of the Mohican nation, baptized 
May 14th, 1744, at Shekomeko, by Christian Rauch, and afterwards married to 
Augustus, a Delaware, and the Captain of Meniolagomekah. There was another 
female convert of the same name. 

11 Jephthah was a widower, of the Sopus Indians, baptized July 31st, 1743, at 
Shekomeko, by Buttner. 

12 Bishop John de Watteville and Nathaniel Seidel. 

12 



166 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

Nathaniel, Father Nitschmann, 1 and the whole church, and recommends 
himself to their prayers, for he is poor in body and soul. 

"And we, the rest of the brethren, are indeed poor, and cannot say 
much ; yet we will constantly tell Brother Bruce the state of our hearts ; 
then our brethren and sisters at Bethlehem will know how we stand to 
Jesus. 

"Jephthah salutes also Philippus 2 and all his children. Brother Moses 
salutes Brother Joseph and wife, Brother Cammerhof and wife, Brother 
John and wife, and Nathaniel, and kisses them heartily, and the whole 
church at Bethlehem and Gnadenhuetten. 3 

" I salute my son Jonathan, 4 and pray that he may see this letter, that 
he may know what we have made out. Sarah 5 salutes Jonathan and Anna ; 6 
and we shall be glad if he comes back again ; and Sarah is very glad that 
Jonathan again stands on a good ground. 

"Moses salutes Jonathan, and rejoices much over him, and says : 'The 
words of our Saviour shall always be a light to us.' 

" And we salute the brethren and sisters from the Delaware nation, and 
were very glad to hear of the grace our Saviour has bestowed upon them ; 
and we say to them : Let us dwell together at the pierced feet of Jesus ; let 
us abide there ; and, although we have never seen one another with our 
eyes, we shall nevertheless feel that we are one ; and, when the Lord comes, 
then shall we see and meet one another. 

" Esther salutes Jonathan and Anna, and all the sisters, and is sorry that 
she could not go with them, for her mother hindered her. But she hopes 
a time may come when she can visit them. Brother Jephthah's daughter, 
who is sick, salutes her sister in Gnadenhuetten, and thinks she will not 
live ; prays, therefore, heartily to be baptized. 

ABRAHAM, MOSES, and JACOB." 

1 David Nitschmann, the elder; born in Moravia, where he was imprisoned for 
the sake of his faith, but escaped to Saxony. He was one of the first missionaries 
to St. Croix, and the founder, of Bethlehem. He died in his 84th year. At the 
time this letter was written he was 73 years old. 

2 Philippus was the son-in-law of Jephthah, a Wampanoag, baptized Dec. 23d, 
1742, at Shekomeko, by Biittner. 

3 A mission station on the Mahony, in Pennsylvania, near what is now Mauch 
Chunk. The massacre of the missionaries took place there in 1755. 

4 Jonathan was Abraham's son, baptized October 10th, 1742, at Shekomeko, by 
Biittner. 

5 Wife of Abraham. 

6 Anna was Jonathan's wife, baptized July 31st, 1743, at Shekomeko, by Martin 
Mack. She was the sister of Bartholomew, and daughter of Apowachenaut. 



AND CONXECTICUT. 167 

Such the letter. The labors of Bruce were abundantly 
crowned with success. An abiding impression had evi- 
dently been made upon the Indians on the occasion of 
Watteville's visit; and it became Bruce's duty to deepen 
this impression, especially among the unbaptized. The 
result of his efforts in this respect is set forth most satisfac- 
torily by the circumstance that, after he had been at 
Wechquadnach only a few weeks, Bishop Cammerhoff, 
accompanied by another minister named Bezold, arrived 
from Bethlehem, in order to baptize a number of Indians 
who longed for the reception of this sacrament. I have 
found, in the archives of my church at Philadelphia, the 
journal of Cammerhoff, describing this visit ; but time per- 
mits me to communicate only a few items from the docu- 
ment. The two brethren arrived at Wechquadnach on 
March 12th, about five o'clock in the evening, after a very 
fatiguing and, at times, dangerous journey of six days, 
having been obliged, among other perils, to cross the Hud- 
son, while obstructed by large fields of ice, in a small boat. 
"We first came," says Cammerhoff in his journal, "to 
Abraham's hut. Sarah, Abraham's wife, had spied us from 
afar, through a crevice in the hut, and hurried out to meet 
us, full of joy, receiving us right warmly, with many tears 
of love. Very soon came John, who had lately visited 
Bethlehem, Miriam, Abigail, Jephthah, Jacob, and several 
others, also of the unbaptized ; and all rejoiced exceedingly 
to see us. John ran directly to call Brother Bruce, who 
was in the house on Gnadensee ; and, on his coming to us, 
Brother Bruce rejoiced more than all, not having expected 
us so soon." The visitors remained with the Indians four 
days, conversing with them in their huts, and holding pub- 
lic services. A deep feeling pervaded Bruce's flock. Not 
less than twenty new converts were baptized ; and, previ- 
ous to the departure of the brethren, a solemn and unusually 



168 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

blessed celebration of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper 
took place in the house near the lake. Bruce was much 
encouraged by this visit, and continued to labor faithfully 
for the next three months. A hopeful future lay before 
him. The beams of the sun, as he saw them reflected by 
the lake, were to him daily an emblem of the light of grace 
which was being shed abroad, more and more, by the Sun 
of Righteousness, over this whole region — substantiating the 
name which the piety of the brethren had given to those 
waters. But God thought fit, just at this auspicious time, 
to move in a mysterious way. Bruce was taken seriously 
ill on the 6th of July, and, after only three days of suffer- 
ing, slept in death. I will not detail the closing scene of 
his life and his funeral, for an account of both was pub- 
lished in the interesting narrative of the late visit paid to 
this place by a number of the gentlemen before me ; and I 
am, at all events, trespassing on your patience. Let me 
merely remind you that the earthly remains of this faithful 
servant of God were carried in two canoes over yonder lake, 
and buried by his Indian brethren, in the absence of white 
missionaries, in the very field where we are now standing — 
Gideon, the Wampano, Captain of Pachgatgoch, offering 
up a fervent prayer at the open grave. 

This ended the career of the first missionary, to whose 
memory this monument is set. In what estimation he was 
held by the church, becomes clear from the remarks, to 
which I alluded before, made by Bishop de Watteville, when 
announcing his death to the congregation at Bethlehem: 
" In the last years- of his life," said Watteville, " Brother 
Bruce found his proper sphere among the Indians. His 
heart burned with the desire to bring the offers of salvation 
to this people, and the Saviour, of late, made him the prin- 
cipal instrument to carry the Gospel to the Delawares. He 
labored among them near Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Meni- 



AND CONNECTICUT. 169 

olagomegah. 1 Then he went to Wechquadnach and Pach- 
gatgoch, where he was very successful. Previous to this, in 
1747, when thirty converts from these villages had arrived 
at Bethlehem, Brother Bruce was their guide to Gnaden- 
huetten. In all respects he labored with apostolical unc- 
tion, and it is to be hoped that his spirit will fall abund- 
antly upon some other brother." Thus the Bishop, as I 
find his remarks recorded in an old ministerial diary, pre- 
served in the archives of the Moravian Church at Beth- 
lehem. 

And now I pass over a period of twenty-five years in 
the history of the operations of the Moravian Brethren in 
this section of country; twenty-five years that saw the 
final abandonment of the mission at Wechquadnach in 
1753, and the one at Pachgatgoch in 1762, and intro- 
duce into my narrative the second missionary whose 
memory that stone is to preserve. It is Joseph Powell, 
a minister of the Gospel among the white settlers of 
this neighborhood. So great a change had taken place 
in the sentiments of these people, that after the death of 
Bruce, they wished to have a Moravian to minister unto 
them in holy things. Hence Abraham Eeinke, an ordained 
clergyman, was sent by the Church to commence this new 
enterprise in 1753, immediately after the Wechquadnach 
mission had been relinquished. He was followed by others, 
one of the last of whom was Powell. 

Powell was, therefore, not a missionary among the Indians 
who once lived here, and yet his memory deserves to be 
enshrined with that of Bruce. For, like him, he belonged 
to the noble company of early evangelists in America, and 
did the work of an itinerant for thirty-two years in different 
parts of our country, and even beyond its borders, in the 

1 Smith's Gap, Blue Mountains, Pennsylvania. 



170 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

West Indies. Born in 1710, in Shropshire, England, he 
became acquainted with the Brethren when a young- man 
through the instrumentality of Wesley and Whitefield. 
In 1741 he offered to go to America with a colony of Mo- 
ravian immigrants, who are known in Moravian history by 
the name of the "First Sea Congregation." This offer was 
accepted. Before leaving England, he married Martha 
Pritchard, who, after having spent the years of her early 
youth in worldly pleasures, was brought to reflection by a 
severe illness, and subsequently found peace in believing 
while attending a Love-Feast, celebrated by a company of 
Moravian Brethren at Oxford. She was a woman just 
fitted to be the wife of an evangelist. The "Sea Congre- 
gation," which was composed of thirty-five married persons 
and twenty-two unmarried men, sailed from Gravesend, in 
the snow Catharine, on March 19th, 1742, and reached 
Philadelphia on June 7th, while the seventh of the Union 
Conferences, or Synods, organized by Count Zinzendorf at 
Germantown, and composed of representatives from differ- 
ent denominations, was in session. Powell and his wife 
spent the first weeks after their arrival at Philadelphia, and 
then went to Bethlehem. In 1743, when the Moravian 
Church in the city had been established, Powell was one of 
the missionaries who occupied the Parsonage. I find his 
name mentioned frequently in the church-books. He 
preached in the city and at neighboring outposts. In 1747 
he accompanied the missionary John Hagen to Shamokin 
(now Sunbury, Pa.), where a new enterprise among the 
Indians had been commenced, and helped to build the mis- 
sion-house. Nine years later, he was ordained a regular 
minister of the Church. His labors for the spread of the 
Gospel were now distinguished by redoubled zeal. He led 
the life of an evangelist even more fully than Bruce ; at 
least the regions which he traversed were more extended. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 171 

Sometimes we find him at Neshaminy, in Bucks County, in 
Pennsylvania, then on Staten Island or Long Island ; again 
he is at Dansbury, near the Delaware Watergap, and pre- 
sently at Gnadenhuetten on the Mahony, on Carroll's Manor, 
in Maryland, or at some station in New England. Nor 
were these the limits of his itinerant operations. Six years 
of his life, as I intimated before, were spent in the Island 
of Jamaica, preaching the Gospel to the negro slaves. On 
all these journeys he was accompanied by his wife, until 
the year 1772, when she was taken seriously ill while at 
the station on Carroll's Manor. In consequence of this 
illness, she and her husband returned to Bethlehem, where 
she died two years afterwards, on May 6th, 1774. Three 
weeks subsequent to this heavy affliction, the indefatigable 
itinerant, now in his sixty-third year, set out for the former 
Bruce-place in this neighborhood, and commenced to labor 
among the friends of the Church, who were still anxious to 
receive the ministrations of a Moravian brother. He soon 
won their affections, and, as in the case of Bruce, a hopeful 
future lay before him. But again God's ways were not 
those of man. Here was to be the closing scene of Powell's 
active life. Four months constituted the span allotted to 
his ministry. On the 23d of September it was cut short 
suddenly by a stroke of paralysis, and the good man went 
to rejoin his partner in life, and to rest with her from all 
his labors at the feet of Jesus. We visited his grave an 
hour ago. Such is a brief sketch of the life and work of 
the second missionary, whose name that monument is to 
perpetuate. 

And now that I have finished my narrative, let me ask: 
What is the principle which it sets forth, and which, as I said 
in the opening of my address, we are here to exalt I I 
answer without hesitation, and I think you will all agree 
with me in the answer — love to our fellow-men, to our 



172 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

neighbor, as the Scripture says, or love to the brethren, as 
the Apostle John so beautifully expresses the idea. By this 
I do not mean a natural and an unsanctified philanthropy ; 
but a love to man growing out of love to God, as He has 
revealed himself in the person of His only begotten Son, 
Jesus Christ. This was the grand principle that animated 
Bruce and Powell in all their manifold works, and that lay 
at the foundation of every missionary operation of the early 
Moravians generally. All men were their brethren, whether 
degraded Esquimaux, in the frozen regions of the North, or 
wild Hottentots in the sunny plains of the South ; whether 
down-trodden slaves in the isles of the sea, or proud Indian 
warriors on this western continent; whether polished Eu- 
ropeans, entangled in the formalism of State churches, or 
hardy sons of America, deprived in their new settlements 
of the means of grace. And being their brethren, they 
loved their souls, nor thought any sacrifice too great, any 
peril too imminent, any sea too broad, any land too wild and 
sterile, if they could gain but one soul for the Lord. From 
Count Zinzendorf, and Zinzendorf's daughter, wandering 
together through pathless forests in search of the Indian's 
wigwam, that they might tell of God made manifest in the 
flesh, to the humblest mechanic, sitting in his workshop, 
industrious at his trade, until he should be called to arise 
and be about his Heavenly Father's business, the whole 
brother and sisterhood of those heroic days of which I have 
been speaking, considered themselves a band of laborers or- 
dained to be always ready to go and work in the vineyard 
of the Lord; and few were the cases, when the call did 
come, in which immediate and joyful obedience was not 
rendered, out of love to the brethren. Let me give you 
two illustrations of this wonderful state of constant pre- 
paredness. In Bishop Spangenberg's work on the Moravian 
Missions, published in 1788, the following fact is mentioned: 



AND CONNECTICUT. 173 

" Having once made known," he says, " on a prayer clay, at 
Bethlehem, in North America, that five missionaries had 
died in a very short time in the island of St. Thomas, 
where the difficulties of our brethren were then very great, 
not less than eight persons voluntarily offered on that very 
day, to go thither to replace those who had fallen." This 
is the first illustration, and here the other ; when Zinzen- 
dorf was at Marienborn, a former Moravian settlement in 
Germany, he sent, one day, for a certain brother, and ad- 
dressed him as follows : " Will you go to Greenland to-mor- 
row, as a missionary V f It was the first intimation the man 
had had of such a thing. He hesitated for a moment*. 
And why] Let his quaint, but ever memorable answer tell: 
" If the shoemaker can finish the boots which I have 
ordered of him by to-morrow, I will go!" 

Such were the workings of the great principle which we 
exalt this day, to the glory of God. What wonder, then, 
that the missionary labors of the Church, in Christian and 
heathen countries, were eminently blest ; whether in leading 
whole tribes from darkness into light, or in bringing the 
one lost sheep to the good Shepherd's fold. In Christian 
lands, the great aim of the early Brethren was not to prose- 
lyte, but to evangelize. Hence others, in this field, accom- 
plished far more as to numbers, but none excelled them in 
the faithfulness with which they sought out single, obscure 
souls, for whom no man else cared. Among pagan nations 
the grand theme of their preaching was Christ Jesus and 
Him crucified, and the constant purpose of their pastoral 
labors, the special care of individual souls. Hence tribes 
whose moral renovation philosophers deemed impossible, 
were elevated to the dignity of civilized and Christian 
peoples ; and a mighty impulse was given to the work, 
in which the whole Protestant Church is now engaged, of 



174 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

preaching in all the world the glorious Gospel of the 
blessed God. 

My friends, I fear I have taxed your patience almost 
beyond endurance, and I will certainly not, preacher though 
I am, now proceed to inflict upon you a sermon in addition 
to what I have already said. Yet you will permit me, I 
feel assured, to give utterance, in conclusion, to a single 
heart-felt wish. May the divine principle set forth by 
the works of the men whose names are graven in that 
marble block, and by the labors of all their fellow mis- 
sionaries, become the grand principle of our future lives ! 
Let us return from this interesting celebration to our several 
spheres of duty, whatever or wherever these may be, with 
the manly resolution to do something for our fellow men 
before we die — not merely in the way of a Christless phi- 
lanthropy, but in that of exalted, Godlike love to the 
brethren. It seems to me that great whispers — the whis- 
pers of the dead — are even now rising from the borders of 
this " lake of grace," and coming up from the foot of yon- 
der distant hills of Pachgatgoch, all blending into one deep, 
solemn admonition: work while it is day, for the night 
cometh in which no man can work. 

The Reverend gentleman spoke with more than ordinary 
fervor and eloquence : he was evidently carried away by the 
excitement of the time and place — and who that was present 
was not 1 A multitude gathered together to hear the word 
of God in nature's majestic temple, with the sky for a dome 
and the whistling forest wind the wild accompaniment to 
the hymns of praise that were swayed in fitful gusts over 
rock and dell, solemn rites over the remains of Christian 
heroes — mournful strains that brought home to the soul the 
memory of those who are gone before, and visions of the 
resurrection such as are recorded in all the grandeur of in 



AND CONNECTICUT. 175 

spired language — could other than most peculiar feelings 
rise in the mind and heart, amid the strange picturesque- 
ness of that clay's scene at Gnadensee 1 

The venerable Bishop made a few concluding remarks ; 
and after many hundred voices had united in singing, 
according to Mear, the touching stanza — 

" How sweetly these our brethren sleep, 
Enjoying endless peace ; 
The grave, wherein their Saviour lay 
Is now their resting-place." 

All once more joined in the Doxology: — 

" To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 
One God, whom we adore, 
Be glory, as it was, is now, 
And shall be evermore," 

and the solemn services were closed. 

It was two o'clock when the Committee reached Mr. 
Andrew Lake's farm-house. Here a number of those who 
had participated in the inauguration had assembled, and 
new and interesting acquaintances were formed. Several 
clergymen were of the party — the Rev. H. Eddy, of New 
Canaan, and the Rev. L. W. Bacon, of Litchfield. All ex- 
pressed themselves gratified with the proceedings they had 
witnessed, and the marked decorum observed by the con- 
course of spectators. It was here that the following 
paper was put into the hands of the President of the Com- 
mittee : — 

Dear Brethren in Christ : — 

Called away from my parish by the meeting of an ecclesiastical body 
with which I am connected, I shall be deprived of the pleasure of being 
with you on Thursday next, at the inauguration of the monument to the 
Rev. David Bruce. 

In visiting the locality some months since, I was impressed with the con- 



176 MORAVIANS IN NEW YORK 

viction that something should be done to mark the spot, which had been 
consecrated by the prayers and toils of this pioneer in the missionary work. 
I accordingly suggested to several of the members of my church the erec- 
tion of a monument to Mr. Bruce, to which should be affixed the fragment 
of the old grave-stone, now in the possession of Mr. Lake, the missing 
portions being carefully restored. Other duties prevented me from pressing 
the matter through at the time. 

I rejoice that now a memorial is to be set up to the zeal of your own 
body in extending the kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 
among the aborigines of this country, and that the name of one who in 
the prosecution of this work here found a grave, is thus to be handed down 
to coming generations. 

May this stone long remain a memorial to David Bruce, and a witness 
for Jesus. Yours, in the Gospel of Christ, 

D. D. THOMPKIXS McLATJGHLIN, 

Pastor of the Congregational Church, Sharon, Conn. 
October 4th, 1859. 

Having for the last time shared the liberality of kind and 
hospitable friends at Mr. Lake's, the time had now come for 
the members of the Committee to bid aclien to the scenes 
amid which two days of remarkable interest had been 
passed. It was with regret that they parted from those 
whose friendship had but just been made. 

Their sojourn among an intelligent and warm-hearted 
rural population, which manifested the liveliest concern for 
the successful result of their mission, will ever be held in 
most pleasing remembrance. To the Shekomeko Literary 
Association, to Messrs. Hunting, Wilber, Deuel, Clarkes, 
and Lake, the Committee would take this means of return- 
ing thanks, for their cheerful co-operation in the erection 
of the monuments at Shekomeko and Wechquadnach; nor 
is this a recognition of valuable services rendered only to 
the members of the delegation. It is made in behalf of the 
Moravian Historical Society, and of the church of which 
this association is a part. 



AND CONNECTICUT. 177 

At a late meeting of this body, the expediency of in- 
trusting the newly-erected monuments to the care of local 
committees was taken into consideration, and the following 
gentlemen appointed to constitute the same: Messrs. Ed- 
ward Hunting, Theron Wilber, Silas G. Deuel, of Pine 
Plains, to report annually on the condition of the Sheko- 
meko monument ; and Mr. Andrew Lake, Sr., Col. Hiram 
Clark, Gen'l Chas. F. Sedgwick, to report annually on 
the condition of the Wechquadnach monument. 



CONSTITUTION 



MORAVIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 



ARTICLE I. 



This Association shall be called "The Moravian Historical Society," 
and its object shall be the elucidation of the History of the Moravian 
Church in America ; not, however, to the exclusion of the general History 
of the Moravian Church. 

ARTICLE II. 

The Society shall be composed of such persons as have been, or may be, 
admitted, from time to time, according to its laws and regulations. 

ARTICLE III. 

The Officers of the Society shall be annually chosen, by a majority of 
ballots, at the stated meeting in October, and shall consist of a President, 
a Vice-President from every congregation, a Corresponding Secretary, a 
Recording Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Librarian. 

ARTICLE IV. 

It shall be the duty of the President, or in his absence, of the Vice- 
Presidents, in rotation, to preside at the meetings of the Society, to pre- 
serve order, to regulate the debates, to state motions and questions, and to 
announce the decisions thereupon. If neither the President nor any of 
the Vice-Presidents be present at a meeting, the Society may choose a 
member to act as President at that meeting. 



180 CONSTITUTION OF THE 



ARTICLE V. 

The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct and have charge of the 
correspondence of the Society, and shall assist the Recording Secretary in 
the reading of all letters and other documents at the meetings. 

ARTICLE VI. 

The Recording Secretary shall keep full and correct minutes of the 
proceedings of the Society, and transcribe the same into a book of record. 
He shall give due notice of any special meeting that may be called. 

ARTICLE VII. 

The Treasurer shall have charge of the moneys aud other funds belong- 
ing to the Society. He shall collect the contributions of the members, and 
other income of the Society, and shall pay such claims against the Society 
as shall have been duly examined and ordered to be paid. He shall pre- 
sent, at the annual meeting, a statement of his receipts and expenditures 
during the preceding year, with a full report on the financial condition of 
the Society. 

ARTICLE VIII. 

The Librarian shall have charge of the books, manuscripts, and other 
property in the rooms of the Society, and shall arrange and preserve the 
same in proper and convenient order. He shall keep a Catalogue of the 
books, manuscripts, and other donations, with the names of the donors. 
At the annual meeting he shall present a report to the Society, embracing 
an account of his administration of the Library, and of its coudition during 
the preceding year. 

ARTICLE IX. 

Vacancies which may occur in any of the above-named offices shall be 
filled by an election at the next stated meeting after such vacancy shall 
have been announced to the Society ; but such election shall be only for 
the unexpired term of the person vacating the office. 

ARTICLE X. 

The Society shall hold stated meetings on the second Monday evening 
of every month. Special meetings may be called by the President, or, in 
his absence, by any of the Vice-Presidents, at the written request of at 



MORAVIAN" HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 181 

least three members of the Society ; of which meetings due notice must be 
given. The members present at any meeting shall constitute a quorum. 
The annual meeting shall be held on the third Wednesday in October. 

ARTICLE XI. 

No alteration shall be made in this Constitution unless the proposed 
amendments shall have been drawn up in writing and read to the Society 
at three successive monthly stated meetings. Nor shall any such amend- 
ment be considered as adopted unless sanctioned by the votes of three- 
fourths of the members present at the meeting when the question shall be 
taken upon its adoption. 



13 



LAWS 



MORAVIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 



ARTICLE I. 



Any person belonging to the Moravian Church may become an active 
member upon application to any officer of the Society. 

ARTICLE II. 

Any person not belonging to the Moravian Church may be elected an 
honorary member at the next stated meeting after his name shall have 
been proposed as a candidate to the Society. 

ARTICLE III. 

Those active members shall be deemed qualified voters at the meetings 
and elections, who have subscribed the Constitution, and who have paid 
all their dues to the Society. 

» 
ARTICLE IV. 

All active members shall pay an annual contribution of not less than 
half a dollar. The payment of ten dollars, at one time, by a member not 
in arrears to the Society, shall constitute him a member for life, with an 
exemption from all future annual payments. And any member liable to 
an annual contribution, who shall neglect or refuse to pay the same for the 
term of two years, shall be notified by the Treasurer, in writing, that his 
rights as a member are suspended ; and, in case the said arrears are not 
paid when the third annual contribution shall have become due, the mem- 
bership of such defaulting member shall then be forfeited, his name stricken 
from the roll, and reported to the Society by the Treasurer. 



184 LAWS OF THE MORAVIAN" HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 

ARTICLE V. 

Honorary members may attend any meeting of the Society. 

ARTICLE VI. 

At the stated meeting in October five Managers shall be chosen by the 
Society, who, together with the officers of the Society, shall constitute an 
Executive Committee, with full power to direct the business affairs of the 
Society ; and they shall meet on the fourth Monday of every month. 
Four members shall constitute a quorum. 

ARTICLE VII. 

All committees shall be chosen, unless the Society shall otherwise direct, 
on nominations previously made and seconded, the question being taken 
on the appointment of each member of the committee separately. The 
member first elected of any committee shall be chairman,, and considered 
responsible for the discharge of the duties of the committee. A majority 
of any special committee shall be a quorum. 

ARTICLE VIII. 

The Executive Committee shall present, at the annual meeting, a report 
upon the transactions and general condition of the Society during the 
preceding year. 



OFFICERS 



MORAVIAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 



|3rtsti3fnt. 
JAMES HENRY. 



"Plct-^rtsiiunts. 
WILLIAM C. REICHEL, Bethlehem, Pa., R. PARMENIO LEINBACH, Friedland, 
EUGENE M. LEIBERT, Sharon, Ohio, N. C. 

CHRISTIAN R HOEBER, Nazareth, Pa., NATHANIEL S. WOLLE, Litiz, Pa., 
HERMAN A BRICKENSTEIN, Olney, GRANVILLE HENRY, Shoeneck, Pa., 

IR ' EDMUND DE SCHWEINITZ, Phila., Pa. 

FRANCIS FRIES, Salem, N. Carolina, CLEMENT L. REINKE, Gnadenhutten, 0. 

EDWARD T. KLUGE, Brooklyn, N. York. 

^rtasum. 
GRANVILLE HENRY. 

Comspontiina Smctarj. 
WILLIAM H. BIGLER, Nazareth, Pa. 

ftttorbinjj Swrttarj. 
ALBERT L. OERTER, Nazareth, Pa. 

3Litrartait. 
SAMUEL L. LICHTENTHALER. 

JHanafitrg. 
FRANCIS JORDAN, Philadelphia, MAURICE C. JONES, Bethlehem, Pa., 
JOHN C. BRICKENSTEIN, EDWARD H. REICHEL, 

HENRY J. VAN VLECK. 

|3ui)IUatioix ©ommitttt. 
JAMES HENRY, WILLIAM C. REICHEL, 

HENRY T. BACHMAN, SYLVESTER WOLLE. 

3Li6rars (frommittn. 
ANDREW G. KERN, SAMUEL LICHTENTHALER, 

HENRY J. VAN VLECK, EDWARD H. REICHEL. 



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